Stop Looking, Start Seeing
by BlackRoseOnFire
Summary: The third story in my Manny trilogy. Chris wants to be in Manny's life in any way possible. COMPLETE
1. The Good Fight

**Chapter One: The Good Fight**

_Consider the odds,  
Consider the obvious.  
The martyr is meaningless,  
The campaign has died.  
In the planning stages and the fallen faces  
Are the singular proof that it was ever alive. _

This purchased rebellion has been outbidded,  
Denounced and rescinded and left to die championless.  
I begged you not to go.  
I begged you, I pleaded.  
Claimed you as my only hope  
And watched the floor as you retreated.

Hope has sprung a perfect dive  
A perfect day, a perfect lie.  
A slowly crafted monologue conceding your defeat.

Does it comfort you to know you fought the good fight?  
Basking in your victory,  
Hollow and alone  
While you boast your bitter bragging rights to anyone who'll listen.  
While you're left with nothing tangible to gain.

Chris knew he shouldn't have tried to break up Manny's wedding. He was just so desperate. He still loved her, and he thought that maybe she'd give him a chance. Now he just wanted to put that day at the back of his mind.

Eight months had passed since that day, and Chris was now sitting at his kitchen table in his tiny apartment, reading the newspaper. It took him awhile, but he had eventually gotten a job at the local grocery store. _How sad is that? _He thought to himself. _I'm twenty-five years old, living alone in this small ass apartment, and work at a grocery store. This is pathetic._

Chris immediately stopped thinking about himself when he turned the page of the newspaper and saw Manny's face. It was a small picture of Jimmy and Manny holding a baby.

"Manuela and James Brooks welcome into the world a healthy baby girl, Isabella Makaia Brooks," the caption underneath the picture read. Chris realized that it was a birth announcement. Manny and Jimmy had a baby together. Chris picked up the phone and dialed Manny's number. He had looked it up in the phone book a long time ago and memorized it, waiting for the day that he'd have an excuse to call it.

* * *

Manny sat on the couch in her living room, breast feeding her new daughter. She was remembering the day that she visited Chris in prison, almost nine years ago. When she left that day, Jimmy was waiting for her outside. He proposed to her after telling her that he loved her. Manny remembered how she turned him down and almost broke his heart. But she told him that she just wasn't ready to completely move on. They began dating two weeks after that, and the second time Jimmy proposed, (nearly three years later) Manny had accepted and moved in with him. They waited until after they graduated from college and had been working for three years before actually setting the date. Then they moved into a huge house. In Jimmy's condo, all three of the kids were sharing a bedroom, but after moving, they all had their own rooms. 

Now they had a week old daughter. Manny looked down at her and smiled. Her free hand played with the silver locket around her neck. The picture inside was of Sera. Manny wanted her to live on in their hearts. Whenever Jonathan asked who the woman in the picture was, Manny told him that she was his guardian angel.

Jimmy and Manny had agreed that Chris would not be in Jonathan's life, and they would tell their son about his mother when he was eighteen. They had also agreed that Chris could be in the twins' life, and they knew who he was, only from the pictures in their rooms. Even though they know that Jimmy isn't their real father, Lily and Lucas call him 'Dad' because they have grown up with him. Manny finished feeding Isabella and set her down in her bassinet that was in the room. She was just about to turn the television on when the phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Manny, it's me," he said. "Please don't hang up!"

"Chris?" Manny asked. "Why are you calling here?"

"I saw your birth announcement in the paper. I wanted to congratulate you. She's a beautiful baby," he told her.

"Thanks," was all she could say.

"There's another reason I'm calling though." He paused.

"What is it?" Manny asked, sighing.

"I want to see my kids. All three of them," he blurted out. Manny couldn't answer right away.

"I don't know about this Chris. I need to talk to Jimmy first," she finally answered.

"Take your time," he said. "I just need to see them Manny. They're my kids too." Just then, the door burst open and Lily, Lucas, and Jon, ran into the house.

"We're home mom!" they all yelled in unison.

"Shh! Don't wake up your sister!" Manny whispered to them and they immediately fell silent. "Look, I have to go. I guess I'll talk to you later," she said into the phone and hung it up.

"Mom, who was on the phone?" Lily asked as she checked on her little sister.

"No one important," Manny answered. "How was school?" she asked her kids. They followed her into the kitchen and she made them a snack while they told her about school. Manny smiled. Her life was exactly what she wanted.

**A/N: The song is owned by Dashboard Confessional. Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters. I do own Chris Hawkins, Isabella, Lily, Lucas, Jonathan, Sera, Avery, and Jake.**


	2. Catching Up

**Chapter Two: Catching Up**

"Anything interesting happen today?" Jimmy kissed his wife when he walked into the house. She smiled and kissed him back.

"Daddy!" all the kids yelled when they saw him. He kissed and hugged each one of them and then picked Isabella up and kissed her too. He sat down next to Manny on the couch.

"Hey guys, why don't you all go play while I talk to Daddy okay?" Manny suggested. Lily, Lucas, and Jon ran up the stairs to their playroom.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked when he noticed the look on Manny's face.

"Chris called today. He wants to see they kids," she said.

"And you told him no, right?" Jimmy asked. When Manny didn't say anything or look at him, he knew the answer.

"I told him that I'd talk to you first. I know he messed up, but I think he should spend some time with him. I'm not talking joint custody or anything, just visiting them once in awhile," Manny explained.

"He's not seeing Jonathan."

"I wasn't planning on letting him. Jon doesn't know him at all. I don't want him to be confused," she said.

"Tomorrow I have the day off, so I'll watch the kids and you can go talk to Chris about all of this. Just don't bring him here right away. And if he doesn't agree with any of our rules, he can't see them," Jimmy told her.

"This is why I love you," Manny kissed Jimmy on the lips, and snuck her tongue into his mouth. "You know everything that I'm thinking."

"I love you too," Jimmy said and smiled.

* * *

Manny sipped her water and waited for Chris to show up. She never liked coffee, but this was where he asked her to meet him.

"You look great for just having a baby," he said as he walked over to her.

"Thanks," she replied. Chris leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before joining her.

"So, how are my kids?" Chris asked, getting right to the point.

"They're fine," Manny said and took another sip of her water.

"When do I get to see them?"

"It's not that easy Chris…" she began to say.

"Why not? They're my children. Look, I know that I was in prison and missed them growing up. I made a huge mistake and I can't take it back, but I still love my kids. They were the only thing I had to look forward to while I sat in my cell. Well, besides you, of course."

"I told you that I couldn't wait for you," Manny whispered.

"I know, I just…I just thought that you might be willing to work things out when I got home. What have you been up to since you visited me?" he asked her.

"Well, Jimmy and I dated for three years while we were in college and then he asked me to marry him. We got engaged and I lived with him for five more years before we got married. When I finished college, I waited a year to start my careers, then three more years of working before we set a date…"

"It was the exact day that I got out," Chris interrupted.

"We didn't know that. Anyway, I found out that I was pregnant a week after we got married, and I had a baby girl."

"I love her name," Chris said.

"Do you know that Isabella was Sera's middle name?" Manny asked. "That's why we gave her that name."

"No…I didn't." Chris became quiet. A tear rolled down his cheek but he quickly wiped it away. He was hoping that Manny didn't notice. She did, but she didn't say anything. "So, what did you go to college for?" he asked.

"I had a double major in Business Management and Child Development. I've opened up my own adoption agency here in Toronto," she explained. "For now, I've turned my duties over to Emma, my best employee. I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom until Bella starts school. But when she's a little older, I'll probably just be able to bring her to work with me for a few hours each day."

"I knew you'd end up doing something with children, you love them so much," Chris said. "Who watched the kids while you were in school?"

"Spike watched them a lot, and so did Paige's mom. Heather and Jason watched them when I had night classes," she told him.

"And Jimmy? What does he do?"

"He went to Medical School," Manny said proudly. "He just finished all of his school and started his residency over at the hospital."

"Wow," Chris said. He realized that he was glad Jonathan grew up with such a wonderful family. This got him back to the kids. "So…when can I see them?" he asked.

"Jimmy and I talked it over, and we both want you to know that you won't be getting any type of custody of any of them. Not even joint custody. You can visit them at our house and play with them, but they won't be able to sleep over your house or anything like that." Chris sighed.

"I understand. But can I see them today?" he asked anxiously.

"Actually, we've got a lot of stuff to get done, so today's not a good day. Tomorrow would be much better," she said. "We have church until 11, so anytime after that."

"Is 12 okay? Maybe I can take them out to lunch," Chris suggested.

"At first, if you take them anywhere, I have to come with you. They haven't seen you in a long time, and only remember you from pictures. It will take them awhile to warm up to you," Manny said.

"Fine," Chris replied, a little coldly. He was about to leave but then remembered he needed her address. "Where do you live?" he asked. Manny wrote the address on a napkin.

"One more thing before you go. I don't' know if you've realized this or not, but you won't be able to spend any time with Jonathan," Manny blurted out.

"Why not?" Chris asked angrily. He almost yelled it but then realized where they were.

"He doesn't even know you Chris. He doesn't know you're his father and besides, you gave up your parental rights. Jimmy is his father now, and I'm his mother. I'm not going to confuse him by telling him that we're not really his parents. We've decided not to tell him until he's old enough to know."

"But he's my son," Chris said through gritted teeth.

"Biologically he is, but you are a stranger to him. You won't be seeing him," Manny said and stood up to leave. "I'll have Lily and Lucas ready and the four of us can go out to lunch tomorrow. Then maybe you can come back to our house and play with them for awhile. Bye." She walked out of the little café and got into her car. Chris was extremely angry that she wouldn't let him see his son, but he knew that if he had made a scene, she wouldn't even let him be with the twins. He had to figure out a way to be with Jonathan.

**A/N: Just to let you know, Isabella's middle name (Makaia) is pronounced Muh-Kay-Uh. **


	3. I'm Sorry

**Chapter Three: I'm Sorry **

Manny's leg bounced up and down nervously as she sat on the couch with Lily on one side of her and Lucas on the other. She had already fed Isabella and put her down for a nap. Jimmy was upstairs playing video games with Jonathan. Finally, the doorbell rang but Manny stayed put. Lily jumped up and opened the door.

"Hi," she greeted him.

"Hey Lily. Hi Manny, hi Lucas," he said, waving from the doorway. He didn't move from his spot, but surveyed the living room. "You have a really nice place," he complimented her.

"Thanks," Manny said. She finally stood up when he didn't move and Lucas followed her to the door. "Ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Your car or mine?"

"We can go in mine." Chris followed Manny and the twins to her truck. She still had the same old Avalanche. Lily and Lucas climbed into the back, and Chris sat up front next to Manny. As they were pulling away, Manny looked up and saw Jimmy in the window. She waved and blew him a kiss.

* * *

"Wow, this place is still here?" Chris asked as they drove up to The Dot.

"Yeah, it's the same owner and everything. What exactly have you been doing since you got back?" Manny asked. She almost said 'got out,' but didn't want the kids to ask anything.

"Well, I got a job at the grocery store, and I've been saving up money for a bigger place, as well as something else," he explained, taking off his seat belt and getting out of the truck. He followed Manny into the restaurant, where she sat at their old table. Lucas sat down next to Manny, and Lily sat with Chris. "I'm also looking for a higher paying job."

"Do you know what you want?" Manny asked him. He nodded his head and she called a waiter over. "Joe, we'll have the usual," she said to him. Chris told him what he wanted and he left to put the order in.

"I guess the only thing that's changed is that Spinner doesn't work here anymore," he said.

"Uncle Spinner isn't here anymore," Lucas said. It was the first thing he said all day.

"Where did he go? Did he move or something?" Chris asked, a little confused.

"He went to Heaven," Lily whispered and started to cry. Looking shocked, Chris put an arm around Lily and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," he said, looking at Manny. She gave him a small smile and a look that said 'I'll tell you later.' Lily stopped crying and wiped her eyes off.

"So, you two," Chris said to the twins, trying to change the subject. "What grade are you in now?" he asked.

"We're in fourth grade right now. Our teacher's name is Mrs. Patrick," Lily told him.

"You're in the same class?"

"Yeah, we are," Lucas said. Chris was glad that he was finally talking now.

"Our brother is in third grade," Lily added. "He likes school better than we do."

"If you're really our dad, then why don't you know this already?" Lucas asked suddenly.

"Lucas: don't be rude!" Manny scolded him.

"It's okay, he's right. I want you two to know that I love you very much, and I always have. I've been away for a long time, and I'm so sorry that I couldn't see you. I wish that I was there while you grew up," he explained. He knew that Manny hadn't told them that he was in prison, so he wasn't going to either.

"Well, we have a dad. He's _always _been there, ever since we were babies. Mom always told us that you were our dad, and showed us pictures of you, but we already have a dad, and he lives with us," Lucas said.

Chris looked hurt. He was hurt, and Manny could tell. He didn't know what to say either. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke.

"You can just call me Chris if you want. I know that Jimmy is like a father to you."

"Okay Chris," Lily said, trying it out. "Sorry that we can't call you dad."

"That's okay," Chris said and smiled.

"I want to go home now," Lucas said, crossing his arms.

"Sorry about this," Manny said to Chris.

"It's fine, really."

"Hey Joe, can we have that food to go?" Manny yelled to him. Joe nodded his head and a few minutes later, brought over a bag. Chris pulled out his wallet and paid for the food. Everyone walked back to the truck and got in silently. Manny drove back to her house and the kids got out of the car.

"Maybe we can hang out again sometime," Chris said, smiling at them. Lucas ran off into the house.

"Bye Chris!" Lily yelled before following him.

"Tell your dad that I'll be right there!" Manny yelled after her kids.

"Okay mom!" Lily yelled back, turning around to wave.

"I imagined that going differently," Chris said.

"Sorry, I just don't think Lucas is ready for any of this. He really broke down when Spinner died. They were only five," she explained.

"I just can't believe it. How did that happen?" Chris asked.

"He was working late at The Dot, and it got held up. Some idiot came in with a gun and told him to empty the register. Spinner refused, and he shot him twice in the chest. He died instantly," Manny said, tears filling her eyes. "Even though it happened four years ago, it's still hard to talk about. He loved Maia more than anything. She still doesn't really understand what happened. Paige and Jake adopted her."

"What about Hazel? Why doesn't she have her?" he asked.

"I guess you never heard. Hazel left when Maia was born. She gave up her parental rights to Spinner. No one even knows where she is. I'm not sure if she knows about Spinner."

"I'm so sorry," Chris said.

"About what?" Manny asked.

"About everything really. Everything that has happened, everything I ever put you through. I never meant to hurt anyone. Especially not you."

"I know that. I'm sorry that Lucas ruined the day that you had planned," Manny apologized.

"He didn't ruin it. It was dumb for me to think that I could just pop back into their lives. I want to try this again though. Maybe next time we should just stay at your house or something," he suggested. They finally got out of the truck and stood by Chris' car.

"I'll call you sometime this week to come up with a day. Maybe sometime after they get out of school," Manny told him. She put her arms around him and hugged him. For a split second, she missed hugging Chris and being with him. But then she realized that she wasn't sixteen anymore. She had to let him go.

When Manny hugged him, Chris ran a hand up her back. He missed being this close to her. He smelled her hair and smiled. When Manny pulled away, Chris looked into her eyes and fought the urge to kiss her. He knew he couldn't, especially since Jimmy or one of the kids could be watching.

He hesitantly let go of her and got into his car. She waved goodbye and went into the house. As Chris was pulling out of the driveway, he said, "I'm sorry that I ever let you go," and drove away.


	4. Early Passion

**Chapter Four: Early Passion **

Manny woke up early on Monday morning and kissed Jimmy on the cheek before getting up to make breakfast. Jimmy went to work around five am so that he could be home by two, having an hour to spend with his wife before the kids got home from school. Manny always got up on Monday mornings to make breakfast for him. She was usually too tired to do it every day.

"Something smells great," Jimmy said as he walked into the kitchen, wearing black pants, a white button-down shirt, and a gray tie. His white lab coat and stethoscope were in his locker at the hospital. He stood behind Manny and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling him close to him. He kissed her on the cheek and she put the spatula down on the counter. She turned around and kissed him this time, slipping her tongue into his mouth.

"Good morning," she said, turning back to her cooking. She made pancakes, sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs: Jimmy's favorite. There was a cup of milk on the table next to his plate. Manny dumped all of the food onto two plates and sat down with her husband.

Jimmy loved to read the newspaper in the mornings, but always took it to work with him to read on his break. He never read it at the table, and Manny loved that. Instead, they talked about the kids and what they had to do each day. When they were both finished, Jimmy cleared the table off and gave Manny one more kiss before grabbing his cell phone and car keys from an end table in the living room.

"I love you," he said as he walked to the door.

"I love you too," Manny told Jimmy, closing the door behind him. She walked back to the kitchen, putting all of the food into Tupperware containers in the refrigerator. She'd just heat it up for the kids. Then she looked at the clock on the wall. She only had a half hour to take a shower before Lily, Lucas, and Jon woke up. She was surprised that Isabella hadn't woken up yet, but then again, she couldn't remember getting up in the middle of the night to feed her. Jimmy must have done it, and it must have been really late, or she would have been awake by now. Manny went upstairs to her bedroom, undressed, and jumped into the shower in her and Jimmy's bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Manny stepped out of the shower, walked into her bedroom, and put her bathrobe on. She walked through the door that joined their room with the nursery, and went over to Isabella's crib. She was wide awake, lying on her back, laughing as she entertained herself. Manny carefully lifted her out of the crib and held her close. It had been so long since she had a baby that she almost forgot what it was like. All she remembered was that it was the best feeling in the world.

As Manny walked down the hallway towards the stairs, she could smell bacon. As she passed the kids' bedrooms, she noticed that none of them were there. _Oh no, _she thought to herself. _I hope the kids aren't trying to reheat their own food!_ She hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, and was so surprised that she almost dropped her daughter.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Chris. He was serving the kids their re-heated food as they all sat at the kitchen table, patiently waiting.

"I'm giving them breakfast," he answered innocently.

"I can see that. But how did you get here in the first place?"

"I came by to see the kids. They were already awake when I got here, Lily let me in," he explained.

"I told you that I'd call you and let you know when you could come over," Manny said, a little too harsh.

"If I had known it would have upset you this much, I wouldn't have come at all," Chris said, getting ready to leave.

"No, it's okay. You can stay. Help yourself." Manny walked into the living room and put Bella in her baby swing, turning it onto the lowest speed. When she went back into the kitchen, Chris was sitting at the table, shoveling food into his mouth. At first, Manny was disgusted, but then she realized that he probably didn't get much to eat at home. He had mentioned that he was saving his money for something, and he was looking a little thin. They all finished eating and Manny began to wash the dishes. She looked at the clock.

"Go get dressed and brush your teeth," she told her sons and daughter. "I left your clothes on your beds." Lily rolled her eyes, and at that moment, Chris realized how much she looked like Manny.

"Mom, we can pick out our own clothes you know," she said.

"I know, I just like to. You know what; I promise that today's the last day. At least I can pick out your sister's clothes and she won't say anything about it," Manny joked.

"Oh yeah Mom, that helps, seeing as today is our last day of school." She rolled her eyes one more time.

"Well, it's not my fault that your school decided to have the last day on a Monday!" Manny called after her as the three of them ran upstairs to get ready for school.

"She is just too funny," Chris said about Lily.

"Yeah she is," Manny said, turning back to the dishes.

"She reminds me of you a lot," he told her. "But hey, I was thinking, since you're not dressed yet, why don't I walk the kids to the bus? Jon was telling me that you walk them and then leave before the bus comes so they're not embarrassed. I think it's cute," he said.

"As long as they don't mind, it's fine with me," Manny told him. They came running down the stairs, dressed in the clothes that she had picked out for them. "Hey guys, is it okay if Chris walks you down to the bus?" she asked them as they put their backpacks on.

"Sure!" Lily and Jon yelled in unison.

"How about you Luc? You up for it?" Manny asked him. He nodded his head silently. Manny kissed them all on the cheek and watched as Chris walked out the door with her kids. He was good with them, she had to admit.

"Be right back," Chris said, interrupting her from her thoughts. Manny liked seeing him happy. She knew that being in prison was just as hard on him as it had been for her. Still, she had managed to move on and hoped he could too. Manny went over to Bella's swing, turned it off, and took her out. She sat on the couch and began to feed her, singing to her.

The door opened and Chris walked in. Manny instantly stopped singing, but Bella wasn't finished eating. Chris sat down next to her on the couch without saying a word. Once Manny finished feeding her daughter, she put her back into her swing.

"It seems like it was only yesterday that I watched you feed Lily and Lucas," Chris said quietly. "You are so great with your children."

"How was your walk?" Manny asked, changing the subject.

"It was great. I held Lily's backpack while she did cartwheels. She'll be on the Spirit Squad when she gets to DCS," he said, laughing. "Jonathan was telling me all about his teacher and how much he loves to read."

"What was Lucas like?" she asked, curious.

"He was pretty quiet, but when we got to the bus stop, he thanked me for walking with them. It was a little odd, but I welcome anything I can get out of him." Then an awkward silence filled the room. A few minutes later, Manny broke it.

"I think it's good, what you're doing with the twins. Trying to get closer to them. I know that you love them; it'll just take a little while since they haven't even seen you for a long time. They turn ten in a month. You should come to the party, it's on their birthday," Manny informed him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Chris said. Manny flashed him one of her beautiful smiles, and he couldn't help himself. He put his hand on her leg and slid it up underneath her bathrobe. When she didn't move, he leaned in and kissed her lightly. He felt her bare thigh quiver under his hand. Manny shoved him off of her and wiped her mouth off.

"I can't believe you just did that!" she yelled at him.

"You didn't exactly stop me!" he yelled right back.

"You're right, and I shouldn't have let that happen." All she could think about was that day, so long ago, when her and Jimmy had almost had sex behind Chris' back. "I have to get her dressed, and get ready to go. I was thinking of going into the office today. You should go," Manny said. She stood, picked her daughter up, and made her way to the stairs. She could feel Chris staring at her as she walked away, and then heard him mutter a quick 'goodbye' and shut the door behind him.

She quickly dressed Bella and placed her in the middle of her bed while she got dressed. She had put wedges on either side of her to keep her from rolling over. Manny picked her up when she was finished and headed for the door. She went outside, locked the door behind her, and made her way to the truck. She was ready to put the morning's events behind her.


	5. I Want More

**Chapter Five: I Want More**

"Hey Emma," Manny said as she walked into her best friend's office. "How are things going here?" she asked.

"Great actually. Chaela and Joshua are going home today," she announced, talking about two siblings who had been in foster care for almost seven years.

"I'm so glad!" Manny squealed. "So, how have things been going with you and JT lately?" Emma sighed before answering.

"Not so great. I haven't talked to you in awhile. JT was laid off at work, and now he's moping around the house. All he does is sit, drink, complain, and then sleep. It repeats day after day. I love him and everything, but he needs to go out and look for a new job."

"He gets drunk every day? Em, is he an alcoholic?" Manny asked, concerned. Emma hesitated before answering.

"Of course not!" Emma said, a little too defensively. "He only has like, one drink a day. I just don't want him sitting around anymore."

"Well, you look really tired Emma. You can get some rest and I'll work on a few things around the office."

"No!" she snapped at Manny. "I'm fine."

"What's wrong with you?" Manny asked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were…"

"Pregnant?" Emma asked. "That's what you were going to say, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah. Are you?" Emma didn't answer right away. She just gave Manny a look. "You are, aren't you? This is so exciting!"

"Not really," she replied, almost disgusted.

"What's the matter Em? Having a baby is the best thing in the world. You'll love being a mother."

"I'm just not ready, okay? I wanted to wait at least two more years. And now, my husband doesn't even have a job! How are we going to support ourselves and a baby?" Emma complained.

"I'm sure JT will have a job by the time the baby is born. He has nine months."

"More like five months," Emma corrected her.

"You're four months already? Why didn't you tell me?" Manny whined.

"I just found out a few weeks ago. I've been working so much that I never even thought about my missed period. I went to the doctor, and, here I am," Emma explained. She stood up, and Manny could see a small bulge forming in her stomach.

"You may not think you're ready, but you're lucky that you are twenty-five years old! I was eighteen with…"

"Three kids, I know, I was there," Emma told her.

"So, what does JT think about it? I mean, I'm sure he's excited. Have you talked about names or anything like that?" Manny asked.

"Well…um…" Emma wouldn't finish the sentence.

"You haven't told him, have you?"

"Not yet. I don't want to upset him. He just lost his job."

"But he's going to be a father. Maybe if you told him, then he'd try to find a job sooner," Manny pointed out.

"I guess so," Emma said. "Now that's enough about me. Let me see my beautiful little niece," she said, walking over to Bella's car seat and unbuckling it. She lifted the baby out of the seat and held her, making sure to support her head. "Have you talked to Paige recently?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No, I haven't. Hey, I think I should call her tomorrow and you two should come over just to hang out. We haven't spent time together in awhile. You can take the day off. I'll have Julie take over," Manny suggested.

"That's a good idea. I guess I could use a break," Emma said.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Jimmy asked Manny as she walked into the house.

"I went into the office to visit Emma and see how everything is going."

"You just can't stay away from there for five minutes, can you?" Jimmy asked, laughing.

"I guess not. What are you going home so early?" she asked him before kissing him.

"There wasn't much going on at the hospital, so I took the rest of the day off. They all have it under control over there anyway. And we still have three hours before the kids get home," he said, raising his eyebrow at her.

"Let me go put Isabella upstairs in her crib. She fell asleep on the way home. I'll be right back," she said.

"How about I put her to bed and you go wait for me in the bedroom?" Jimmy suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Manny unbuckled Isabella and handed her over to her father. She ran up the stairs ahead of him and rushed into her bedroom. She pulled all of her clothes off and put on her sexy black lingerie that Jimmy bought her for Christmas that year.

"I don't know why you bothered to put that on," Jimmy said, appearing in the doorway. He had already taken his clothes off and was in his boxers. "I'm going to take it off anyway." He walked over to his wife and kissed her hard. Then he picked her up and dropped her onto the bed, climbing up after her. She giggled and pulled him down on top of her.

"I love it when you get rough with me," she said and kissed him, this time shoving her tongue into his mouth.

* * *

"Have you thought about, you know, having more kids?" Manny asked Jimmy. They were lying on their bed, their bodies pressed together after their incredible sex. Jimmy had his arm around Manny's waist and pulled her closer to him, kissing her again.

"We just had a baby," he said.

"I know, and she is the most beautiful baby in the world. I want to have more. I love all of our children and I've always wanted a huge family," she said.

"I could deal with one more baby. I'd rather wait a little while though. Bella's only a few weeks old," Jimmy told her.

"I was thinking about having two more…" she trailed off.

"Two!" Jimmy yelled in surprise.

"I want there to be an even number of boys and girls," Manny explained. "Three boys and three girls would be perfect. And I'm not saying that it has to be right now. I just don't want to be an old mom. I'd rather have them all before I'm thirty…"

"Well, we have four years andone month then," Jimmy said. "But for now, let's just relax while we can. Bella will be up soon." He stroked Manny's hair with his other hand and kissed her on the top of her head. In a few minutes, they fell asleep, grateful for the silence that filled their home.


	6. Lost In The Crowd

**Chapter Six: Lost In The Crowd **

Manny stirred and awoke as she heard her daughter's crying on the baby monitor. She rolled over and looked at the clock. They had only been sleeping for an hour, but the kids would be home soon. Manny got up and walked into Isabella's room, picking her up out of the crib and switching off the baby monitor.

"How's my little angel?" she cooed at the baby. Isabella smiled at her and Manny walked back into her bedroom. She placed her daughter down right next to Jimmy. They looked so cute together. Bella was waving her hands around and accidentally smacked Jimmy in the face, waking him.

"Why'd you hit me?" Jimmy asked without opening his eyes.

"I didn't," Manny replied. This time he did open his eyes and his face broke out into a huge grin.

"Hey baby. Daddy's awake now, you can stop hitting me," he laughed and sat up before picking Bella up. Manny and Jimmy went downstairs to the kitchen, where Manny took Bella to feed her and Jimmy started making snacks for Lily, Lucas, and Jon.

"No more school!" the three kids yelled as they ran into the house a few minutes later. They took a seat at the kitchen table and Jimmy gave them their snacks.

"I can't wait to be in fourth grade," Jonathan said proudly.

"I'm glad that it's summer," Lucas said.

"Next year is my last year in elementary school!" Lily added.

"Mom, where are we going for our vacation this summer?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know if we can go anywhere…" Manny replied.

"Why not?" all three kids whined.

"Your sister is only a few weeks old. She's not really old enough to take long trips," she explained to them.

"Can't we take a trip without her?" Lucas whined more.

"And who would watch her?" Jimmy asked him.

"Chris could!" Lily interjected.

"Absolutely not. End of conversation. We'll talk about this later," Jimmy said, ending the subject.

"Oh, by the way, I'm having Paige and Emma over tomorrow," Manny told her husband.

"Yay!" the twins and Jon yelled.

"Try not to have too much fun," Jimmy joked.

"Are Avery and Maia coming too?" Lily asked. Avery and Maia were her best friends.

"I'm sure they will," Manny told her.

"Can they sleepover?" she asked her mom.

"I'll talk it over with Paige," she answered. "Why don't you guys tell us about your last day of school?" Manny suggested. She had just finished feeding Bella and was burping her. All three kids started at once.

"One at a time," Jimmy told them. "Jonathan can go first." After Jon told about his day, Lily did, and then Lucas. Manny and Jimmy sat back, soaking in all of their kids' energy. They loved every minute of it.

* * *

"Come in!" Manny yelled. The front door opened and Paige, Avery, and Maia walked in. Emma was already there, sitting in the living room with Manny. The girls instantly ran upstairs to Lily's room. "Lily wants to know if they can sleepover tonight," Manny told Paige.

"Yeah, I already heard. She called them last night. I brought over clothes for them if that's okay," Paige said.

"That's fine. They love spending time together."

"I was thinking that when I pick them up tomorrow, Lily can come home with us and sleepover my house," she told Manny.

"Sounds good to me. But anyways, we've been waiting for you. Emma has some news to tell you," Manny said.

"Thanks a lot Manny," Emma complained. "I just told you that I wasn't ready to tell anyone else!" Paige sat down on the couch next to Emma.

"You can tell me anything Em!" she said. "We're all best friends here, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"No buts, just tell me," Paige said, eager for the news.

"I'm pregnant," she said. Paige squealed and rubbed Emma's stomach.

"This is so exciting!" Paige yelled. Emma rolled her eyes. "Why are you not excited?"

"Because I wasn't planning this. As I told Manny yesterday, I wanted to wait two more years!"

"If you didn't plan it, then how would it happen?" Paige asked, obviously confused. "I thought you were on birth control pills."

"Yeah, I was. But after spying on my husband a little, I caught him messing with them! He replaced them with a fricken placebo so I'd get pregnant! I should have known, seeing as he's been bugging me for a baby ever since we got married!" Emma started to yell.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Manny asked, with a shocked look on her face.

"It never came up," Emma said, shrugging her off. She stood up to go get a drink, and Manny and Paige noticed a huge bruise on her thigh.

"What happened to your leg?" Paige asked.

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked her, pretending to be clueless.

"Right here," Manny said, lifting up her skirt a bit. Emma slapped her hand and she immediately let go of the skirt. Manny gave her a look. "How did you get that bruise Emma? Is there something you're not telling us?" she asked.

"No! Of course not!" Emma yelled.

"Then why won't you just tell us?" Paige asked her.

"Because, it's really embarrassing," she said.

"Did JT…" Emma didn't let Manny finish her question.

"No, JT did not hurt me! He'd never do that! Wow, if you really must know, I was playing with the dog in the backyard and ran right into one of the strings that hold up our volleyball net. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd make fun of me for being so klutzy! Now if you'll excuse me, I need a drink of water." Emma stormed off into the kitchen. When she was gone, Manny and Paige exchanged weird looks.

"Do you believe her?" Manny whispered.

"I don't know, I guess so. Why would she lie to us?" Paige asked.

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe JT could have done it. She told me that he was laid off and started drinking. I just want to make sure she's okay," Manny explained. They heard Emma walking back into the room, so they stopped talking.

"What should we do guys?" she asked as she opened her water bottle.

"We could go to the mall like we used to, eat out at The Dot, rent a movie, or take the kids to the park," Manny suggested.

"We can take the kids to the park, do some shopping, go out to eat, rent a movie, and come back here to watch it," Paige said, putting all of her suggestions together.

"Sure, why not?" Emma said.

* * *

Nearly eight hours later, Emma, Manny, Paige, and the kids busted into Manny's house. Jimmy had fallen asleep on the couch while watching television. Manny woke him up by kissing him.

"I was waiting for you to come back, but I guess there's still a party going on," he said, smiling. "I'm beat, so I'm gonna go to bed. Have fun you guys," he said to the three women. "I love you," he told Manny and kissed her.

"I love you too," she said back to him. Then Jimmy kissed Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan on their cheeks, told them that he loved them, and took Bella from Manny. He brought her upstairs, put her in her crib, and then went to bed.

Lucas and Jon ran up to Luc's room to watch "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns," the two movies that they rented. Lily, Avery, and Maia went up to Lily's room to watch "Shrek" and "Shrek 2." Manny, Paige, and Emma settled onto the couch with popcorn and their movie, which was "Raising Helen."

After their movie was over, Manny went upstairs to check on the kids. The girls were all asleep with their second movie playing in the background. Manny turned the TV off and pulled their blankets over them. Then they went to Luc's room and found the boys acting out fight scenes while watching the second movie. Manny laughed and closed the door so they wouldn't wake up the girls. Her last stop was Bella's room. She was sound asleep in her crib. Manny leaned over the side and kissed her on the cheek. When she went back downstairs, Emma and Paige were asleep on the couch, one at either end. She turned the lights off and went upstairs. She was too tired to put her pajamas on, so she stripped off her clothes and bra, and jumped under the covers in her underwear. She rolled over into Jimmy and fell asleep instantly.


	7. Crash

**Chapter Seven: Crash **

"Wake up mom," Lily called, nudging Manny for the fifth time.

"What is it Lily?" Manny asked.

"I just thought you might want to say goodbye. Aunt Paige said she's got to get back to work, so we're leaving in ten minutes," she explained.

"I'll be right down," Manny told her daughter. Lily ran to her room to get her bag. Manny got up and slipped her bathrobe on. Jimmy had already gone to work. "Are you sure you don't want me to drop them off later? So you can work in peace," Manny asked Paige as she walked down the stairs.

"Nah, it'll be fine. Jake's got the day off. He loves playing with the kids," Paige assured her.

"Bye mom!" Lily said, hugging her. Manny kissed her on the cheek.

"Bye sweetheart. And make sure you be good," she told her. Lily rolled her eyes. Manny went around her and hugged Paige, then Avery and Maia. They all went out the door, leaving Manny in silence.

She was about to walk into the kitchen, when she noticed that Emma was still fast asleep on the couch. One of her arms was hanging off the side, and her blanket had slipped onto the ground. Manny gently placed her arm on top of her chest and covered her with the blanket. Manny looked at her, and she looked so tiny and frail. She went into the kitchen this time, and started making a pot of coffee. Even though she didn't like it, Jimmy lived off of it, and she knew Emma would want some.

"Hey mom!" Lucas yelled as he ran into the kitchen with his brother.

"What's for breakfast?" Jon asked.

"Shh! Your Aunt Emma is still sleeping. And you can have cereal for breakfast."

"Aww, but Mom!" they started to complain.

"Oh stop your whining. I'm not going to make a huge breakfast for just a few people. Paige, Lily, Avery, and Maia are all gone. Did you see what your dad did for you yesterday while we were out?" she asked them.

"No…" they answered in unison.

"Go take a look in the backyard." The boys stood up and went into the living room to look out the window.

"Cool!" they yelled, going back into the kitchen.

"Make sure to thank him for uncovering that pool for you. It's too heavy for you to do it on your own," Manny told them.

"We will!" Jon said excitedly.

"Can we go swimming now mom?" Lucas asked.

"Yes you can. But before you get your bathing suits on, I want you to go wake your Aunt Emma up and give her some coffee," she told them, handing Lucas the cup.

* * *

"Dad, we're home!" Avery and Maia yelled to Jake as they walked into the house. Jake came into the kitchen and kissed them all on their cheeks, including Lily.

"Uncle Jake, guess what?"

"What Lily?' he asked her.

"I'm sleeping over tonight!"

"Oh, just what I need, more girls," he said sarcastically and rolling his eyes they way Lily always did.

"You're so funny," Lily said, in a tone similar to Jake's. She rolled her eyes at him and walked past him to get a drink.

"Well, your Aunt has to do some work today, so we're all going to go outside and give her some peace and quiet," he told her.

"Can we go swimming?" Lily asked. "I brought my bathing suit."

"What? You're coming over here to do something that you can just do at home? No way! Let's go check out the back and see if we can find something better to do," Jake said, leading the girls to the deck.

"Whoa! You are the coolest Uncle ever!" Lily yelled. Avery, Maia, and Lily all saw that Jake rented a huge DDR system, an inflatable castle to jump in, and a pop-up camping trailer for the girls to sleep in that night.

"Thank you!" the three girls yelled in unison. They ran out into the yard with Jake, eager to try out everything. Paige smiled and walked downstairs to her huge finished basement, where she ran her business. She was a fashion designer and had some drawings to finish. Jake was a homicide detective. Their house was about the same size as Manny and Jimmy's.

After Paige had been working for almost an hour, she heard the doorbell ring. She stayed where she was and kept on working, thinking that Jake would answer it. After the third time it rang, she decided to just take a break and answer it. She ran up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" she yelled when the person rang the bell for the fifth time. Paige threw open the door, a little frustrated, and nearly fainted.

* * *

Manny was sitting on the deck, cradling her baby in her arms. Bella had sunscreen and a hat on, and they were sitting at a small table, with an umbrella shading them from the sun. She was still so tiny, and Manny didn't want anything to happen to her. Emma was sitting next to Manny, and they were watching Lucas and Jonathan swim in the pool.

"Mom! Watch my dive!" Jonathan called from the diving board. Jon was on the local swim team, and he was a pretty good diver for his age. He jumped up high and his feet left the board. He did a somersault in the air, and should have gone straight into the water in a perfect dive. Somehow, he misjudged his distance. He was too close to the board when he came down, and his neck slammed into it. For a split second, Jonathan lay on the edge of the board, but then his body slithered off of it, and landed in the water with a small splash.

Emma was dozing off in her chair, extremely tired. All of a sudden, she heard a thud and a crack followed by Manny's screams. She jumped awake as Manny's chair was knocked to the ground and Isabella was shoved into her arms.

"Call 911!" she yelled, running off the deck and jumping into the pool to save her son. Emma pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed quickly, explaining the situation to the dispatcher and giving them the address.

When Manny reached Jonathan, he was floating face down in the water. She carefully rolled him over, making sure to support his neck and head, and trying not to move him too much. He wasn't breathing, but he had a pulse. She heard the sirens in the distance and prayed that her son would live through this.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked angrily once she gained her composure.

"I came to see my daughter."

**A/N: Two cliffhangers in one chapter! For those of you who don't know, DDR is Dance Dance Revolution. It's a dancing video game. Sorry if it's too short. **


	8. Blanket Of Fear

**Chapter Eight: Blanket Of Fear **

**A/N: Okay, quite a few people reviewed saying that Spinner might be the one to come see his daughter, but as I have said in Chapter Three, Spinner died. Look into it if you don't remember. So, it's obviously not going to be Spinner, sorry! **

"He's breathing!" the paramedic said. They had been giving Jonathan mouth to mouth resuscitation for five minutes, and finally got him breathing again. Manny watched as a few people put a neck brace on her son and lift him onto a stretcher.

"Can I ride with him?" she asked a man close by.

"There's no room in the back with all the equipment," he said, shaking his head.

"You can ride in the front," the driver told her.

"Emma, can you take Lucas and Bella in my car? And call Paige!" Manny yelled out the window as they drove off, sirens blaring.

* * *

"No. You cannot be back here. You're not seeing her!" Paige yelled at her unexpected visitor.

"You can't keep her from me; she's my daughter too!" the person yelled right back at her. Paige tried to shut the door, but he stuck his hand out and stopped it from closing. "Let's talk about this like two adults Paige." He pushed past her and sat right down on the couch in the living room.

"I don't want to talk to you. I'm going to get my husband," she said, starting towards the back of the house. Then man grabbed her arm and held her back.

"You wouldn't want to go do that now, would you? I'm guessing that you never told him about me," he said, pulling her down to sit on the couch next to him.

"What do you want from me?" Paige asked him. She was trying her best not to cry.

"You know what I want. I want my daughter." Before Paige could say anything else, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Paige answered it, glaring at the man sitting next to her. Her eyes widened as Emma told her something had happened. "I'll be right there!" she said to her and hung up the phone. "I have to go now. Get out of my house."

"Fine, but I'll be back. You can count on that," he said, silently slipping out of the door. Paige ran out into the backyard. She called Jake over to her.

"I have to go to the hospital. Jonathan's been hurt. Don't tell Lily, I want her to have some fun and not have to think about it. If things get bad, I'll have her come down," she told him.

"Okay, I'll stay here with the girls. Call me if you need anything." He kissed her quickly and she ran back into the house. She grabbed her car keys and jumped into the car, driving as fast as she could.

* * *

"We've got an eight-year-old male, diving accident. He's got a neck injury!" the paramedic called as he wheeled Jonathan's stretcher into the emergency room. Jimmy came over to intercept the latest patient.

"Jonathan?" Jimmy yells frantically.

"Daddy, it hurts!" Jonathan wailed. Tears were streaming down his face. Manny ran in, right behind them.

"Mommy's here honey," Manny said. Jonathan had regained his consciousness in the ambulance, and all Manny heard the entire time was how much pain he was in. "Please, help him!" she yelled to a doctor nearby. Jimmy put his arms around her and hugged her quickly.

"Let's go, I got this," he said, running down the hall with the stretcher. Manny followed him. Before they got to a trauma room, Jimmy's friend Jared came up.

"Jimmy, I'll take him," he said.

"No, he's my son!" Jimmy yelled.

"That's exactly why I have to take this. Your emotions might get the best of you. I got this. Go wait with your wife," Jared told him. Jimmy let his hands drop to his sides and stood with Manny, watching his son being wheeled into the room. The doors shut behind them, and Jimmy and Manny watched through the glass.

"Hey buddy," Jared said to Jonathan. "My name is Dr. Walker. What's your name?" he asked him.

"Jon," the boy told him. He was in extreme pain.

"Okay Jon, I'm going to take really good care of you. Can you tell me what hurts?" he asked calmly.

"My neck. And my back," Jonathan cried.

"Can you wiggle your toes for me?" Dr. Walker asked him. After a minute or so, he asked again.

"I did!" Jonathan cried.

"Okay, wiggle them one more time." Jonathan wiggled his toes, but they weren't moving.

"We need to get him into surgery right away," Jared informed the nurse and doctor in the room with him. "Page the O.R. and tell them we're bringing a patient up." Then he turned to Jonathan. "Okay Jon, this nice doctor is going to give you a shot, and I want you to count backwards from 100."

Jonathan did as he was told, and a few seconds later was out. Jared took hold of the stretcher and wheeled it out of the room, heading for the elevator. Jimmy tried to follow him, but Jared shook his head.

"Go wait in your office Jimmy. I'll let you know as soon as he's out of surgery," he said as the elevator doors closed behind them. Jimmy led Manny into his office and closed the door. He turned to his wife and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"He's in good hands," he assured her.

"What if he…" Manny couldn't finish her question.

"He's going to be fine," Jimmy said, trying to convince himself as well. The two of them sat down on the couch in Jimmy's office and held hands, silently praying for their son. A knock on the door made Manny jump. She got up to open it and found Chris staring back at her.

"Manny! Is he okay?" Chris asked her. Manny had just realized that he was holding Bella's car seat in his hand. He placed it on the ground and threw his arms around her. Manny hugged him back.

"He's in surgery," she cried into his chest. "I'm so scared Chris," she said, sobbing.

"Shh. Everything's gonna be alright," Chris said, stroking her hair with his left hand. Jimmy stood up and grabbed Isabella's car seat, then gently pulled Manny away from Chris and back to the couch. Manny wiped her tears a little and rested her hand on Jimmy's leg. Chris took a seat in a chair against the wall.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Jimmy asked him harshly. Manny sniffled and grabbed a tissue from the box on the shelf behind her.

"I thought Emma was bringing Bella," she said.

"She called me up and told me what happened. Then she asked me to bring Bella because she didn't feel too good. When I got to your house, she was lying on the couch asleep, with the baby in her swing. Lucas was sitting in a chair watching TV. I didn't want to wake her up, so I just left a note and took Bella," he explained.

"Thanks, but you can go now," Jimmy said, glaring at him.

"Just because you don't want me here, doesn't mean that I'm going to leave. You seem to forget that Jonathan is my son. I am his father; not you," Chris said, throwing him an equally unpleasant look.

"You haven't even been there for him!" Jimmy yelled, starting to get really angry.

"Will you two just stop fighting?" Manny suddenly yelled. Both men fell silent and looked at her. "Jonathan is in surgery, probably fighting for his life, and you two are here fighting with a bunch of two-year-olds. If you don't stop, I'm going to leave!"

"I'm really sorry Manny," Chris said, getting up. He sat down on her other side. Jimmy threw him a look, but kept quiet. Chris put an arm around her and hugged her. Jimmy took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Manny looked at the clock; they had been sitting in there for over an hour. Another knock on the door caused all three people to jump this time.

"Maybe it's the doctor," Chris said, rushing to the door. He opened it. It wasn't the doctor; it was Paige.

"Manny, I'm so sorry about what's happening!" she said, and ran over to hug her friend. "I wish I had gotten here sooner, but I stopped at your house to check on the kids and Emma," she said.

"Was she okay?" Manny asked. Paige sat in Chris' spot on the couch, and he returned to the chair he had been in earlier.

"When I got to your house, Lucas was eating a snack, and told me that Emma was in the bathroom. I knocked on the door and let myself in. She was sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around the toilet bowl. I guess she was having really bad morning sickness," Paige explained. "But then I led her back to the couch and she was really weak. I also noticed a different bruise on her other leg. I'm really worried about her." Manny stared at Paige. "I'm so dumb. Here I am, talking about Emma, when you need me more."

"No, it's okay, really. I'm worried about her too. I think I need to go talk with JT sometime soon," Manny said. She laid her head on Paige's shoulder and began to cry.

"Don't worry hun, Jonny's gonna be okay, I just know it. He's a fighter, just like you," she said.

"I hope you're right," Manny said, sighing. A third and final knock on the door made Manny start crying more. "That has to be the doctor," she said. Chris got up and opened it, and sure enough, it was Dr. Walker.

"What happened?" Jimmy and Manny said at the same time. They saw Jared's face fall and Manny started crying again.

"Is he dead?" she whispered between sobs.

"No, he's not dead," Jared assured her. "I have good news and bad news for you," Jared said.

"We want to hear the good news first," Jimmy blurted out.

"Jon's surgery went pretty well. He broke his neck, but we were able to put the bones back together. He will have to wear a neck brace for a month."

"And what's the bad news?" Manny asked, frightened. Paige held onto one of her hands, while Jimmy grasped onto the other. Jared took a deep breath and answered her.

"Jonathan is paralyzed from the waist down."

**A/N: Okay, I'm not sure if doctors would be able to put bones back together in someone's neck. I do know that people don't automatically die if they break their neck. It depends on the way it is broken. In Jonathan's case, it wasn't severe enough to kill him.**

**I don't know if I've done this yet:**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Degrassi or any of its characters. I do own Lily, Lucas, Jonathan, Sera (who died), Avery, Maia, Jake, Chris,and Emma's baby when he/she is born. **


	9. Reason To Believe

**Chapter Nine: Reason To Believe **

"This is all my fault!" Manny cried.

"Why would you say that? Jonathan had an accident. Don't blame yourself," Jimmy told her.

"If I had never put that diving board in, this wouldn't have happened."

"Why don't you all go up and see him. I'm sure he'd love to see his family," Jared suggested, changing the subject. "He's in room 215." Everyone took his advice and went upstairs. Manny was the first one in the room, followed by Jimmy, then Chris, and finally, Paige.

"Hey buddy!" Jimmy said, ruffling Jonathan's hair. He was the first one to speak. Manny simply burst into tears, throwing her arms around him.

"Uh…mom?" Jonathan said. "Why are you crying? I'm fine. I'm not dead, you can let go of me now," he said, completely calm.

"But…did they tell you?" she asked him.

"Tell me what? That I'd never walk again? Do you really believe that Mom, because I don't," Jon stated confidently.

"You don't?" Manny asked her son, surprised. She pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes.

"They said the same thing to dad, didn't they? And Chris lost one of his legs; he's fine now. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Every person in the room was in awe of how brave Jonathan was being. He had been told that he'd never walk again, yet here he was, telling them that he would. And he wasn't scared at all.

"Jonathan should get his rest now," a nurse said as she walked in.

"She's right you guys. Go home and quit worrying," Jon told them with a huge smile on his face. Manny hugged her son one last time as they were ushered out of the room.

"Call us if you need anything," Chris said before he left.

"And your dad will be at work for a few more hours if you need him," Paige added.

"I'm his dad," Chris whispered in her ear, but she elbowed him in the stomach.

"I'll be fine!" he yelled after them as the nurse shut his door for some privacy.

* * *

Paige offered to drive Manny home since she had ridden to the hospital in the ambulance. Chris wanted her to ride with him, but Paige convinced her because she had to talk to her about something. Chris told Manny that he'd meet her back at her house with Bella and her truck. Paige pulled up in front of Manny's house and put the car in park, turning towards Manny to talk to her.

"I have to tell you something," she finally said with a sigh.

"What is it?" Manny asked, curious.

"He…he's back Manny," Paige blurted out.

"Who's back?"

"Matt." Manny gasped as she heard his name and started to remember something.

**-Flashback-**

"_Oh no you won't Manny. You are not yelling for anyone and you're not going anywhere either. Paige isn't pleasing me and since you are her friend, it's gonna be your job to please me." While he was saying this, he grabbed Manny by her arm and dragged her over to his desk._

_Manny is so scared that she can't make a sound. She has no idea what to do and Mr. Oleander is so much bigger than her. He shoved her down onto his desk and put his hand up her skirt. She cried out, but with his other hand, he covers her mouth. With his other hand he pulls down Manny's underwear and his own pants. He begins to rape her. Tears are streaming down Manny's face as it happens. She can't move or get herself out of his grip. She can't even cry for help._

**-End of Flashback-**

"Manny?" Paige called, snapping her fingers in front of her friend's face. "You okay?" Manny snapped back to reality and tears were slowly falling down her cheeks.

"I gotta go," she said, stepping out of the car.

"But…" Paige began to say.

"Just…call me later okay?" Manny slammed the door shut and ran into the house.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked her the minute she walked into the living room. He reached up and touched her cheek, but she pulled away.

"Where's Emma?" she asked, instead of answering him. She wiped the tears away.

"She left as soon as I got here. She didn't look too good, and was mumbling something about 'not being late' and she had to make dinner. I don't know what's going on with her," he explained.

"You don't know what's going on with anyone because you haven't been here," Manny said harshly. Chris turned his back to her.

"I'll just see myself out. I can see that you don't want to talk right now." As he started to walk towards the door, he felt the same old comforting hand on his shoulder turn him around.

"Matt's back," she said, bursting into tears. Chris took Manny into his arms and hugged her.

"Shh…it's going to be alright. He can't hurt you," Chris whispered. Just then, the front door opened and Jimmy walked in.

"What are you going?" he asked, an accusatory tone to his voice.

"I was just…" Manny started to explain. Jimmy held up his hand for her to stop talking.

"Get out of my house Chris," he said, pointing to the door. Chris did what he was told and headed for the door. Before he actually closed it, he had the audacity to turn around and stare at Manny. Jimmy picked up a vase near him and threw it. It hit the door, shattering into tiny pieces, and littering the carpet with water and roses.


	10. Problems And Solutions

**Chapter Ten: Problems And Solutions **

"Jimmy, what the hell is your problem?" Manny yelled.

"What's my problem? What do you think my problem is?" he yelled right back. "I come home from work early to see you in your ex-boyfriend's arms! That's my problem."

"And you wouldn't give me one second to explain myself, would you?"

"What's there to explain? I saw it with my own eyes!" Jimmy said. "Why were you hugging him?"

"Oh, so NOW you want to know why. After you kick Chris out, embarrass yourself, and break my vase. You want to know why he was hugging me Jimmy? You think it's going to be some elaborate scheme to divorce you or something?" Manny was extremely angry. This was the first fight that her and Jimmy had after being together for eight years.

"Just tell me," Jimmy said through his teeth, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Chris hugged me to comfort me because Matt is out of prison and he came back to Toronto. That's why!" she yelled at him, bursting into tears. Jimmy was speechless. He had made a fool of himself and knew he couldn't apologize for it. That would only make her mad. "You know what really bothers me though?" Manny whispered, still crying. "You just acted the same way Chris did every time he got mad. You reminded me of him and how angry he always got. He always overreacted and that is what led to our downfall. I'm really ashamed Jimmy."

Jimmy still didn't say anything. He had started to cry, but Manny didn't take pity on him. She picked Bella up and started to go upstairs. Jimmy tried to follow her, but Manny turned around and stopped him.

"You can sleep on the couch tonight," she said and walked away. She found Lucas in his room, already asleep. It was only nine o'clock, but Manny felt exhausted. She fed her daughter and then rocked her to sleep. She gently placed Isabella in her crib and went into her bathroom. After a long bath, she put her pajamas on and stretched out in her bed, alone for the first time since she had been married.

* * *

"Jake, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked her husband. He had just come inside from checking on Avery, Maia, and Lily to make sure that they were asleep. 

"Of course you can. I'll meet you in the living room. You want anything to drink?" he asked.

"No thanks." Jake poured himself a glass of water and sat down on the couch next to his wife.

"What's up sweetheart?" he asked. Then he noticed the look on Paige's face. She looked like she was about to be sick, or cry, or both. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to tell you this…" she began.

"Just tell me. I love you so much, and nothing you can say will change that."

"Avery's dad…he…he…he came here today," she said, bursting into tears.

"What?" Jake asked, surprised.

"He came here and he wants to see her. I told him no, but then Emma called about Jonathan. He said that he'd be back. What if he takes her?" Paige explained, between sobs.

"No one is going to take Avery from us. I promise you that. She is our daughter. He just left before she was even born and has no right to her. I am her father and I won't let that creep take her," Jake said angrily.

"I have to tell you something else, and you're not going to like it," she paused before continuing.

"Go on…don't be afraid to tell me anything."

"Avery's dad is…well, he's…Matt Oleander," she whispered his name.

"What?" he asked. "Isn't that the guy who raped Manny?"

"Yeah, he is," was all she could say.

"Did he rape you too?" his eyes widened.

"No…he didn't." Paige was staring at the floor, ashamed to look at her husband. "He was my boyfriend."

"You had sex with a teacher while you were still in school?" Jake asked, bewildered.

"Yes." Paige sighed and tried to wipe some tears away. "I understand if you hate me or think I'm a slut. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier. I…I loved him and I thought that he was a good person. I didn't even want to have sex in the first place, but he convinced me to. The reason he wasn't there for Avery's birth is because he was in prison. I'm so sorry Jake, I really am. I hope you can forgive me." Paige didn't look up. She felt Jake's hand under her chin and he lifted it up, looking into her eyes.

"I could never hate you, and I don't think you're a slut. You made a mistake when you had sex with him. And if you hadn't, we wouldn't have Avery right now. I love her too much to ever live without her. The same goes for you. Everyone makes mistakes. Let's just leave the past in the past." He leaned toward her and kissed her.

"Jake, I really can't think of what will happen if Matt tries to get joint custody of Avery. She doesn't even know him, and I don't want her to."

"We have to make sure he doesn't win his case," Jake said.

"What if he does?" Paige asked warily.

"I'll think of something." They hugged and Jake led her upstairs where they fell into bed, too tired to change.

"I love you Paige," Jake whispered in her ear.

"I love you Jake," Paige said as she fell asleep.


	11. As Long As I'm With You

**Chapter Eleven: As Long As I'm With You **

Manny woke up and stretched. She made her way downstairs and found her husband lying quite uncomfortably on the couch. Oddly, she was in a good mood and jumped on top of him, waking him up. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"I really missed you last night," she told him and kissed him. "I don't ever want to fight again."

"I'm so sorry Manny. I shouldn't have blown up like that. What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked her.

"You really did hurt me," she said.

"I know, and I never meant to. Give me another chance. I want to make it up to you anyway I can."

"Make love to me," she said and kissed him again. Manny pulled her shirt off and Jimmy did the same. They tried to shift positions and ended up in a heap on the floor. They both burst out laughing and stood up. Jimmy ran his hands up and down Manny's arms and kissed her.

"Gross!" they heard someone yell. Lucas was standing at the bottom of the stairs, and closed his eyes. "Get a room!" Manny laughed and put her shirt back on.

"You can look now," she told him. "I'll go make some breakfast, and then we have to go pick Lily up from Paige's."

"Can we go see Jon today?" Luc asked. "Please?"

"Of course," Jimmy told him. "We'll get your sister and then go."

Manny went into the kitchen to make breakfast but Jimmy stopped her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth and they made out for a few minutes. Luckily for them, Lucas stayed in the living room to watch TV. Jimmy lifted Manny up onto the kitchen counter and they continued to make out.

"I love you," he told her when they finally pulled away.

"I love you too," she said. They make waffles and sausage together and called Lucas in. All three of them ate quickly and Jimmy went upstairs to get Bella. Manny fed her and they were off to pick Lily up and visit their son.

* * *

"No!" Paige screamed as she looked at her mail.

"What is it?" Jake asked, suddenly appearing at her side. The girls were all outside, playing for a couple more minutes until Manny and Jimmy arrived.

"It's a summons. Jake, he's suing us for custody!" she cried into his shoulder.

"WHAT?" he yelled, ripping the paper from her hands. "He wants joint custody," he sighed in disbelief.

"That can't happen," Paige said. Jake's shoulder was wet with her tears. He pulled her face up to his and kissed her.

"It won't."

"Anyone home?" Manny called out as she entered her friend's house.

"We're in here!" Paige yelled. She dried her tears and hugged Manny.

"What's wrong?" Manny asked.

"Matt is suing us for joint custody," Paige sighed. Manny's face went blank as she had another flashback of her rape.

"You okay?" Jake asked, waving his hand in front of her face. Manny had to fight back tears.

"I'm fine. I was gonna ask you two if you wanted to go visit Jonathan, but you need to work this out," she told them.

"I'll go get her for you," Paige said and walked away.

"I'm really worried about what this will do to her," Manny said to Jake.

"So am I. I have to come up with some kind of plan. Matt cannot win any custody at all. We don't want Avery ever knowing about him. He's a horrible person, and she shouldn't have to deal with having him as a father," Jake explained. "We have to prepare ourselves for the worst."

"Don't worry; I'm sure you'll think of something." Just then, Paige returned to the living room with Lily, who was carrying all of her stuff.

"Did you thank your Aunt and Uncle?" Manny asked her.

"Yes mother, like a bazillion times!" she rolled her eyes and hugged Paige and Jake before following her mom out the door.

"See you later!" Manny called to them as they left. "And good luck!"

* * *

A week passed and Paige found herself sitting at the trial. She was scared out of her mind that she might lose her daughter. Manny and Jimmy agreed to watch the girls for the day. Paige felt bad because it was the same day that Jonathan was getting out of the hospital, but she couldn't help it.

"I don't even want to hear this," she whispered to Jake who was sitting next to her.

"Don't worry. With the rape and statutory rape charges, they won't grant him any custody at all," Jake assured her. They held onto each other tightly underneath the table.

"Mr. Oleander," the judge addressed him. "Considering your past with Mrs. Morgan, I will not grant you joint custody of Avery Morgan." Paige breathed a sigh of relief.

"We did it," she whispered, kissing Jake softly.

"However, I will grant you weekly visits, every Sunday. The visits will be supervised and last two hours long," she said. Paige began to cry and Matt's lawyer spoke up.

"Your honor, although it was my client's actions that caused his imprisonment, it is not his fault that he has not been able to recently spend time with his own daughter. I ask that the visits be at least three days a week," he said.

"Your client was released from prison two years ago. He's had plenty of time to seek out his child. My decision stands. The visits will last for a period of one year before joint custody is discussed. This case is adjourned."

"What are we going to do?" Paige asked, burying her head in Jake's chest.

"I'll fix this, I promise," he told her.

"See you next Sunday," Matt whispered in her ear as he walked by. He smirked at her when she looked up at him with a tear-stained face.

* * *

"Manny!" Paige cried as she walked into the house. Manny ran up to Paige, saw the tears, and threw her arms around her.

"Jimmy? Can you bring all the kids outside so we can talk?" she asked her husband. "I'll take Isabella." Jimmy handed the baby to Manny and ushered all the kids into the backyard.

"He gets supervised visits every Sunday for two hours!" Paige blurted out. "We have to do something. Avery doesn't even know who he is. I'm not having my family falling apart. She'll hate me for not telling her! She's too young to even begin to understand!" she yelled, still crying.

"I think I have an idea," Manny said, all of a sudden.

"What?" Paige instantly stopped crying and looked up. "This has to be permanent."

"You have to leave," she told them.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked. "Like move? The police will find us and they could take Avery away if they knew we were running."

"Not if you left the country," Manny whispered.

"You think we should move to the States, don't you?" Paige asked.

"The police can't follow you. The law here is different than in the States. You could leave and they can't take her from you. I think it's the only chance you have to keep your secret safe. Now, we have a week to work this out. I'll ask Jimmy to come with me to your house and pack up everything. You guys should all stay here. The girls can stay in Lily's room, and you two can take the guest room. Pick a state to live in and try to find a house to buy. Jimmy and I will rent a moving truck under our name so no one is suspicious. This is your only chance," Manny finally finished explaining.

"Do you want to do this?" Jake asked Paige.

"I don't care where I go, as long as I'm with you," she replied.

**A/N: So I just realized that I never gave Jake a last name, so my friend and I decided on Morgan. **


	12. Getting Away

**Chapter Twelve: Getting Away **

**A/N: To Chica de la Spastic: Yeah, my English teacher was always correcting me last year with the tenses…sorry about that. I'll try to get better with that, but it's just a habit so I prolly won't be able to fix it much lol. **

"DAD!" Jonathan yelled from his bedroom.

"What is it Jon?" Jimmy asked, running up the stairs. He felt bad that Jon had a hard time getting around the house because there were no wheelchair ramps. They were planning on having some built in, but were preoccupied with helping Paige and Jake find a new house.

"A little help please! I want to go downstairs," he said.

"Sure thing son," Jimmy told him.

"Sorry if I sound a little spoiled. I just want to hurry up and get ready to go to therapy. I'm so excited to go and start walking again."

"It's not going to be that easy Jon. I went through two long years of therapy before I could walk. The doctor said…" but Jonathan cut him off.

"I know what the doctor said! I probably won't walk again, even with extensive therapy. I have ears Dad. I want to prove him wrong. I can do this; I know I can."

"I know you can too. Now, are you ready to go downstairs?" Jon nodded his head and Jimmy lifted him up out of his wheelchair. He carefully carried his son down the stairs and placed him in another one. They always kept one wheelchair upstairs and one downstairs so Jimmy didn't have to carry it up and down the stairs. Jonathan instantly zoomed away, hurrying to put his shoes on; a task he insisted on doing by himself. Jimmy went into the office to see Manny and Paige who were sitting on the computer.

"How about this one?" Manny asked, pointing at the screen.

"Too big. We don't need seven bedrooms when we'll only use three," Paige reasoned.

"What if you have more kids?"

"We've already talked about it and agree that two girls is perfect for us. I like this one," she said, changing the subject.

"I see you're not having much luck," Jimmy stated from behind them.

"I think you and Jake need to do this together," Manny told Paige.

"We have to get going anyways. Jon will be ready to go any second. Are you sure you two can watch the twins and your girls? Do you want me to call Emma?" Jimmy asked Paige.

"They'll be fine. We won't stay on the computer right now. We can look later when you guys get home. We were actually thinking of taking the kids outside to play soccer or football or something. That was obviously Jake's idea," she laughed. "Where has he gotten to anyway?"

"Probably still sleeping. I walked by the guest room a while ago and he was sprawled across the bed," Jimmy told her.

"Mom, Dad! I'm ready!" Jonathan called from the living room.

"Okay, we'll see you later. The twins will love to play sports but if it gets too hot, they can go in the pool. I don't want them getting overheated," Manny told her. Paige shot her an uncomfortable look. "What happened to Jonathan was an accident. We can't go around keeping the kids from doing certain things because they're brother got hurt. Don't worry. If you're that uncomfortable, it's fine. We'll see you later."

* * *

"How was your day with Paige and Jake?" Manny asked the twins when they got home. 

"Great! We went swimming for a long time," Lily said.

"And Uncle Jake played video games with me," Lucas added.

"How was therapy?" Paige asked Jonathan.

"It was ok. Nothing too exciting happened. I can't really stand up yet, but I'll get the hang of it," he said cheerfully before wheeling himself into the living room.

"And how was packing?" Jake asked after the rest of the kids went upstairs. None of them knew yet.

"We almost finished it all. There are a few more boxes to fill," Jimmy told him.

"Thanks for all of your help guys. We're all going to miss you so much," Paige said, on the brink of tears.

"Don't worry! We'll keep in touch and make sure we come and visit all the time!" Manny said, hugging her. She looked at her watch. "I'm gonna go put Isabella to bed and then we can all go into the office to look for a house. You have less than a week to find one and move." Manny went upstairs and but the baby in her crib, singing to her for a few minutes until she fell asleep. When she went back downstairs and into the office, Paige, Jake, and Jimmy were huddled around the tiny computer.

"This is it!" Paige squealed. She pointed at the house and Jake clicked on it.

"Beautiful Victorian with wrap around porch, four bedroom, two and a half bath, fireplace, in ground pool in large backyard, swing set included," Jake read out loud as they all looked at the photos. "Perfect neighborhood to raise a family, many children close by."

"Honey, do you like it?" Paige asked him.

"I love it. It's the perfect price too," he replied.

"Call them now! This is our chance to get away," she said excitedly. Jake quickly dialed the phone and spoke with someone for about fifteen minutes. Paige waited by eagerly. When he finally hung up, they waited to hear what he would say.

"We're buying the house," he told her. Paige jumped into his lap and began kissing him. When she finally stopped, he spoke again. "I told the woman that we just wanted a new start in a new place. I also told her that we'd be paying in cash, the minute we get there. She's going to put the 'SOLD' sign up right now."

"Thank you so much!" she squealed. She ran out of the room and yelled up the stairs. "Avery, Maia! Can you come down here please?" The girls ran down as fast as they could and Paige motioned for them to sit on the couch. Jake came out of the office and stood next to her.

"Girls, we have something to tell you," Jake said.

"And we don't want to hear any complaining okay? What we're about to tell you is something that we have to do," Paige added.

"We're moving," Jake announced.

"To New York," Paige said. Their daughters were completely silent for a few minutes. Then Avery burst out crying.

"This is so unfair!" she yelled. "I don't want to leave all of my friends and family. You guys suck!" She stood up to leave but Jake stopped her.

"You just sit back down young lady," he said angrily. Avery knew she was in trouble when her father called her 'young lady.' "We are doing this for you. You may not think so right now, but someday you'll understand. You have no choice to make here. You better apologize to us for saying something like that."

"I'm sorry okay? But it's still not fair." She stood up and stomped up the stairs to Lily's room. Paige turned to Maia to see that she was crying too.

"I know you'll miss everyone, but you'll make new friends. And all of our family will visit us," Paige said, trying to comfort her.

"I know that Mom. I just hate it when everyone yells," she cried. Jake sat down and pulled her into his lap.

"No more yelling honey. I'm sorry," he said.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Now, you need to go to bed little missy," Paige said, ruffling Maia's hair. "We're leaving tomorrow." Maia stood up, kissed Jake and Paige on their cheeks, and went upstairs to bed. Jake got back online and bought plane tickets to Columbus, Ohio, to arrive at 5:30 pm. They decided not to get tickets directly to New York so that Matt couldn't find out where they went. They would drive into New York from Ohio, which would probably take about eighthours.Jimmy got on the phone and called the movers to inform them of the time that they would be needed the next morning.

* * *

"This is it then," Paige said, sighing. "I can't believe it has come to this. I'm gonna miss you guys so much." She hugged Manny, then Jimmy, and then all of the kids goodbye. Jake did the same. 

"Make sure you visit us okay?" he said to the kids.

"We will Uncle Jake!" Lily said.

"Yeah, really soon," Jonathan said. "And I'll send you a home video of my second first steps," he said.

"I'll be looking forward to that." By that time, Paige was crying hysterically.

"I can't believe I'm leaving Toronto forever. I always thought Avery and Maia would be going to Degrassi."

"Don't worry Paige. I'm sure that you can come back soon enough. Matt won't stick around forever," Manny said, hugging her again.

"Sorry the girls aren't awake to say goodbye," Jake told them all.

"That's okay, we said bye to them last night," Lucas said.

"Okay guys, we have to leave now," Paige said, wiping her eyes. "I want some more hugs," she said, sniffling. Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan all gave her one more hug and then she kissed Bella on the cheek.

"Call us as soon as you get there," Jimmy added.

"Bye guys," Jake and Paige said in unison.

"Bye!" Everyone said, waving to their friends one last time.

**A/N: Okay, I don't even know if you can pay in cash for a house, but I wanted to make it that way. **


	13. Bend And Not Break

**Chapter Thirteen: Bend And Not Break **

"Where is she?" Matt screamed into the phone. A week had passed since Paige and Jake moved. "She didn't show up today!"

"I don't know, I really don't," Jimmy said.

"You liar! I went to her house and she's gone. All their stuff is gone. This is just going to get her arrested. She can't keep my daughter from me," he slammed the phone down.

"This is not going to be pretty," Jimmy told Manny.

"We should probably get a restraining order," Manny said. "Make sure he stays away from us."

"I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning," he said. "I have to get to work. Are you sure you'll be okay while I'm gone?"

"I'll be fine. As soon as the kids wake up we're all gonna go down to my work. I haven't checked on everything in awhile. Emma could probably use the help," Manny explained.

"Okay, I love you." Jimmy kissed his wife and headed out the door.

"I love you too!" she called after him.

* * *

A few hours later, around ten o'clock, Manny and all the kids arrived at the adoption agency that she owned. Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan headed off to the game room that Manny added a few years ago. She wanted to be able to bring them with her to work on days like this. Manny went into her office and set Isabella's car seat down to unbuckle her. She lifted her daughter up and put the car seat in a corner on the floor, then headed to her best friend's office.

"Hey Em, what's up?" she asked as she entered the room.

"Nothing really. Slow day today," Emma replied without turning her chair around.

"You want to hold Bella?" Manny asked her.

"Sure." Emma slowly turned around in her chair and Manny gasped.

"What happened?" Emma had a huge bruise on her cheek.

"It's nothing," she replied, lifting a hand to her face.

"Who did that to you?" Manny asked. "Was it JT?" she said accusingly.

"Of course not Manny! Why do you walk around assuming things?"

"If it wasn't him, then who was it?"

"I visited my parents the other day. You know, to tell them about the baby. Jack and I were playing baseball and the ball hit me in the face."

"Emma, you shouldn't be playing baseball when you're pregnant!" Manny scolded. She handed Bella over to her friend.

"I know, it was dumb. But I just wanted to spend some time with my brother. I can't believe he's at Degrassi now," she said, changing the subject.

"I know, it's crazy. Well, I came to get some work done and see if you might want to watch Bella while I do."

"Sure, that sounds great," Emma told her.

"The rest of the kids are in the game room if you want to visit them," Manny said.

"How is Jonathan doing with his therapy?"

"He hasn't made any progress. He comes home every day happier and happier, but I think he's just putting on a show for us. I don't think he'll ever walk again," Manny said sadly.

"I'm so sorry about that," Emma said genuinely.

"He's not sorry, so I guess no one else should be. He's taking this really well. He's not feeling sorry for himself at all." Manny turned to leave.

"Hey, one more thing. How are Paige and her family?" Emma asked.

"They're doing great. The kids love the new house and have made some new friends. Paige and Jake love it too." Manny left the room to work for awhile. She stayed for the entire day, up until the point where she knew Jimmy would be home from work soon. She rounded up the kids, and went back to Emma's office with Isabella's car seat.

"Thanks for watching her," she told her best friend.

"It was nothing. She's a great baby. I hope my son or daughter will turn out like her," Emma said.

"Hey, promise me you'll go home soon," Manny requested. "You and the baby need some rest."

"You shouldn't worry about me you know. I'll go home in a few minutes, I promise. I just have to clean up this office a bit. Bye guys," she said to the kids. "Bye Manny." With a sigh, Manny led the kids out of the office to the elevator. Despite everything Emma had told her, she couldn't help worrying about her.

* * *

_I catalog these steps now, decisive and intentioned,  
__Precise and patterned specifically to yours._

_I'm talented at breathing, especially exhaling,  
__So that my chest will rise and fall with yours._

_I'm careful not to wake you, fearing conversation.  
__It's better just to hold you and keep you pacified._

_I'm talented with reason, I cover all the angles.  
__I can fail before I ever try._

_Try to understand, there is and old mistake that fools will make.  
__And I'm the king of them, pushing everything that's good away.  
__So won't you hold me now? I will not bend, I will not break.  
__Won't you hold me now? For you I rise for you I fall._

_I am fairly agile. I can bend and not break.  
__Or I can break and take it with a smile._

_I am so resilient. I recover quickly.  
__I'll convince you soon that I am fine._

* * *

"Jimmy, I'm gonna go back to the office," Manny told her husband. Isabella had woken both of them up, and they were in her room. Jimmy was trying to rock her back to sleep.

"But it's one in the morning!" Jimmy protested.

"I forgot to bring something home with me and it's been bothering me all night. It won't take me very long, I promise," Manny told him.

"Fine, but you better hurry. Call me the minute you get there and the minute you're leaving to come back home."

"I will." She kissed him and ran to their bedroom, quickly getting dressed. Then she popped her head back into Bella's room. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes," she said before leaving.

It only took Manny a few minutes to get to the office. She swiped her card at the door and typed in the security code. She decided to go up the stairs instead of using the elevator. It was only a few floors. Instead of heading to her office, she went straight to Emma's. What she saw confirmed all of her suspicions. There was her best friend, fast asleep on the couch in her office.

"Em, wake up," Manny said, nudging her. Emma slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Manny?" she asked, alarmed.

"What are you doing here Emma? I thought you were going home," Manny pressed. She wanted the truth.

"I guess I just fell asleep here. I was going to take a little nap. What time is it?"

"Emma I want you to stop lying to me! I know you're lying. Why are you always here?" Tears began streaming down her best friend's face. "I'm sorry I yelled, I just…"

"Manny you were right. I feel so dumb, like it's all my fault," she cried.

"Like what's your fault?" Manny asked.

"When JT lost his job, he started drinking. And it wasn't just one drink a day. He's an alcoholic now. And he…he…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

"He hits you, doesn't he?" Manny asked her. "All the bruises, all the excuses…" Emma nodded her head and Manny rushed forwards to hug her.

"Em, I'm so sorry. I thought something might be up, but I really didn't think JT would ever be like this," Manny said.

"It's not your fault; it's mine. I shouldn't have pushed him to get a new job so quickly. It's the reason he hits me. I pick fights when he's drunk because it makes me so mad," Emma explained.

"Don't ever say that again! It's not your fault that he hits you. JT needs help, and I'm going to give it to him. But you're going to come live with us. He could hurt you and the baby and that's a chance you can't take. I just don't understand why he'd ever hurt his own wife and child." Emma had a strange look on her face. "Oh Em! You didn't tell him, did you?"

"No, he still doesn't know. He thinks I'm just fat, which is another reason that he'll hit me. He said I'm not pretty enough for him anymore." Tears poured out of her eyes and she broke down. "Manny, I don't want to be with him. Whether he gets help or not. I just can't do it anymore. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Of course not Emma. You can annul the marriage since you haven't even been married that long. We can do that tomorrow. For now, let's just get you back to my house. You can sleep in the guest room. We'll come back for your car later." Manny helped her friend up and they took the elevator downstairs.

"Manny, there's one more thing I didn't tell you. The reason I'm pregnant…" Emma started.

"Is JT even the father?" she asked.

"Yes he is. I just…I didn't want to…"

"He raped you?" Manny yelled.

"He…he just forced me a little. I didn't think of it as rape. He's my husband Manny. I still love him and I'm not going to press charges," Emma explained.

"Rape is rape Emma! No matter who does it to you." Manny was so angry because it had happened to her twice.

"I don't want revenge or anything. I just want him to get help," Emma said.

"You're a great person Emma. Not every woman would be as understanding as you are. JT is lucky."

"Let's just go home," Emma sighed, getting into the truck. "I'm lucky to have you Manny," she whispered before falling asleep with her head leaning against the window.

**A/N: Okay, I want you guys to tell me if Emma's baby should be a boy or a girl. I haven't decided yet, and I thought I'd ask. The song is "Bend And Not Break" by Dashboard Confessional and they own it. **


	14. Can't Do This Anymore

**Chapter Fourteen: Can't Do This Anymore**

"Where have you been?" Jimmy yelled when Manny finally came home.

"Oh Jimmy! I forgot to call you, I'm sorry, I forgot," she told him.

"It's okay; I was just worried about you. I called your cell but you left it here. You didn't even get anything at work though, did you?"

"Actually, I got someone," she said, and pulled Emma into the house. She gave him a look that said _I'll explain later_ and led Emma upstairs to the guest room. "I'll go with you tomorrow to explain everything to JT and you can get all your stuff. You'll probably be living here for awhile."

"Thanks Manny," Emma whispered. She rolled over and fell asleep almost instantly. Manny closed the door behind her and went to Bella's room to check on her. She was fast asleep in her crib. Then she checked on the rest of the kids and they were all sleeping too. When she got back to her own bedroom, Jimmy was already there, waiting for her.

"What is this all about?" he asked her.

"Jimmy, Emma's gonna have to stay with us for awhile. She's been having problems at home," Manny told him.

"What kind of problems?"

"Ever since JT lost his job, he has been drinking every night. He became an alcoholic and he hits her," Manny whispered.

"That's horrible. She can stay for as long as she needs to. She is a part of the family after all. I just can't believe JT would do something like that.

"Me neither." She wasn't going to tell him about how JT raped Emma. She talked with Emma before they went in the house and promised not to tell anyone; not even Paige. She told Manny that she'd tell people when she was ready. "Goodnight, I love you," Manny whispered and kissed her husband.

"Goodnight, I love you too."

* * *

"Jimmy got these for you this morning before he went to work," Manny said, handing Emma the annulment forms. "You just have to sign them here, and then we need to get JT to sign them."

"Remind me to thank him," Emma said, signing the papers without hesitation. "When can we bring these over to JT?" she asked.

"I was thinking that maybe you could stay here with the kids and I'd go alone," Manny told her.

"I'm not letting you over there by yourself!" Emma argued.

"He's not going to do anything to me. You said so yourself that he only gets that way when he's drunk. I'll go with Jimmy later to get all your stuff, but I think these should be signed right away and JT should know where you are," she explained.

"Fine, but don't take too long," Emma told her.

"I won't. I'll be back in a half hour." Manny hugged and kissed all her kids before leaving. She got in her truck and headed over to JT's house, a drive which took about ten minutes. JT opened the door the minute Manny knocked on it.

"Do you know where Emma is?" he asked frantically. He was obviously worried about her.

"Yeah, she's at my house and she's fine," Manny told him.

"Why is she there?"

"We need to talk." JT stepped aside and let Manny into the house. "When did you lose your job?" she asked him as soon as she sat down on the couch in the living room.

"I don't remember the exact time, why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because you've been drinking ever since it happened."

"I don't think that's any of your business Manny," JT stated angrily.

"It is when you're abusing my best friend. She's your wife JT! What is wrong with you?" Manny yelled.

"What are you talking about? I don't abuse Emma!" JT yelled right back.

"I've seen the proof. Every time you get drunk you hurt her. Why do you think she doesn't come home at night very often?" Manny lowered her voice. "This is ending now." JT was silent as Manny shoved the papers in his face.

"This cannot be happening to me. I didn't even know Manny, I swear I didn't. I don't even remember what happens when I get drunk, honest," he tried to reason with her.

"That doesn't matter JT. Until you get help, it's over. I don't even know if she'll want you back after that," Manny said coldly.

"I don't want Emma to be unhappy. I love her too much." He reluctantly signed the papers and handed them back to Manny. "Let me help you pack up her stuff so you don't have to come back again."

In fifteen minutes, all of Emma's things were in boxes in the back of Manny's truck. All there was to pack were clothes, makeup, books, and photographs. JT told Manny to have Emma make a list of furniture and other things that she'd want. Manny could tell that he was heartbroken, but she couldn't think of any other way to protect her friend. She called Emma when she was on her way home.

"How'd he take it?" Emma asked when she picked up the phone.

"Pretty well actually. He was definitely heartbroken, but he helped me pack your stuff up. Do you think that you'll go back to him if he gets help?" Manny asked.

"I don't know Manny. Probably not. I don't think it was meant to be. You didn't tell him about the baby, did you?" Emma asked her.

"No, of course not. You asked me not to, so I didn't. You have to tell him some time you know."

"I know. Now's just not the right time, believe me. But yeah, Jonathan is complaining that he's gonna miss therapy," Emma said.

"Oh I almost forgot. Tell him I'll be home in a few minutes. See ya." Manny flipped her cell phone shut and drove the rest of the way home. JT may have been calm about signing the papers, but Manny had a feeling that he wasn't going to stay so quiet.


	15. Together

**Chapter Fifteen: Together**

The next day, Manny woke up early to cook breakfast for everyone. She wanted Emma to take it easy for awhile. Before cooking, Manny decided to get the newspaper. When she opened the door, she almost screamed. Sprawled out on the front steps, with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, was JT, fast asleep. Manny nudged him with her foot and woke him up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

"I…I came to see Emma," he confessed.

"So you got drunk and passed out on my steps? That was a really stupid thing to do JT."

"I was nervous, so I started drinking. I'm sorry okay? At least I didn't drive here," he pointed out. "Can I talk to Emma?"

"No you can't," Manny told him.

"Why not?"

"Because she's sleeping, and even if she wasn't, she wouldn't want to talk to you. She came here to get away from you. Why don't you understand that?"

"Because I love her!" he yelled. Manny felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. She turned to see Emma on the steps.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I do," JT said sincerely.

"We have to talk." Manny took the hint and went inside to make breakfast. Emma led JT over to the bench swing on the porch. They sat down and turned to face each other. "JT…" Emma began.

"Wait Em. Before you say anything, I didn't even know that I had been hurting you. I have not been myself ever since I lost my job. I just wanted to be able to provide for you and I felt like a waste of life when I was laid off. Manny told me what's been happening, and I'm so sorry. I know that may not be enough, but I love you and I want to change." He sighed after he finished.

"I appreciate that, I really do. But how could you forget that you've been beating me?" she started to cry. "You did this to me," she said, pointing at her eye. "And this, and this, and this," she began pointing out all the fading bruises that JT had put on her. "And you did this," she put her hand on her growing stomach.

"I don't understand…" JT trailed off.

"JT, I'm pregnant," she said flatly.

"But…we've used protection. And…" But Emma cut him off.

"You raped me," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. JT's eyes widened and he gasped.

"Emma, I…"

"You're sorry? You didn't know? JT, how many excuses can you make?" JT sat there, speechless, his head in his hands.

"Emma, I know that I've made some horrible mistakes, but that's what they were: mistakes. I also know that I can't change what has happened, but I want to change. I want to get better. I want to be with you and our baby. I need you," he said, beginning to cry.

"I found this online last night," Emma said, unfolding a piece of paper that she had in her hands. She gave it to JT and he read it silently. "It's a three month program." The paper was all about 'The Freeman Institution' in Montreal. "It will help you get better. I want you to get better JT."

"I want to get better too. I'm gonna go," he said, wiping the tears off of his face and then off of Emma's. He kissed her forehead and stood up. "I'll pack my things and I'll go right now. I can't lose you Emma."

"I have a lot to think about right now. I don't know if we can be together. You've hurt me so much and I'm not sure if I can go back to that. I'll keep in mind that you're willing to change, but for now, you just need to go. Go get better and I'll see you when you get out. I'm gonna stay at Manny's and you can call whenever you need to. That's the best I can do right now," she explained.

"I'm lucky that you're even going to think about it. I love you Emma and I always will, no matter what you decide. I have to go now." He kissed her lightly and walked away without looking back.

Emma quickly went into the house to find everyone at the kitchen table, eating. A place was set for her so she sat down and started to eat without explaining what happened. Just when she decided to say something, Jonathan began to speak.

"I have to tell you all something," he said, and everyone's eyes were on him. "I've been going to therapy for awhile now, and I haven't gotten any better. I can't even stand up, and I don't think that I'll turn out like Dad," he confessed. A tear formed in Manny's eye, but she didn't let herself cry. "Mom, I don't want you to be sad because I'm not. And I don't want everyone to feel sorry for me either. I'm fully capable of doing anything that I want to."

"We love you no matter what," Jimmy said. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do know that. I love you guys too. That's why I want you to know that I'm not giving up; I'm just not going to continue something that's a waste of time. I'm going through different therapy now, but that's a surprise that I'll show you later."

"Jonathan, you sound so grown up," Manny said, still trying not to cry.

"I'm glad that you're not giving up son," Jimmy told him. He reached over and patted Jon on the back.

"Does anyone else have any good news?" Manny asked, obviously looking at Emma.

"I'll tell you later," Emma said, smiling. They all finished breakfast and the kids all got their bathing suits on, including Jonathan. Jimmy put his swimsuit on as well and jumped into the pool with Lily and Lucas. Manny fed Bella and put her down for a nap before joining Emma on the deck. Jonathan was wheeling around the yard, spinning his wheelchair in circles.

"JT is going to The Freeman Institution," Emma burst out as soon as Manny sat down.

"Really? That's great Em."

"I don't know if I'm going to go back to him even if he gets better though."

"That's something that you have to decide for yourself," Manny told her. Jimmy climbed out of the pool and went up on the deck. He walked over to where Manny and Emma were sitting.

"Don't you get me wet!" Manny yelled, laughing. Jimmy sat right down on her lap, soaking her. Manny playfully smacked him and he kissed her.

"I forgot to tell you that I got that restraining order against Matt last night. I called him up and talked to him about it, and I faxed him a copy of it so he would know. He asked me where Paige was, and when I didn't tell him, he hung up on me. I don't think he'll be bothering us," he said.

"And I forgot to tell you that I love you today," Manny said, kissing him.

"Mom, Dad, I want to show you something!" Jonathan yelled from the pool area. Manny and Jimmy looked up to see that he had wheeled himself to the very edge of the pool and locked it in place.

"Get away from there right now!" Manny yelled, standing up. Her and Jimmy began walking towards the deck steps. Without warning, Jonathan pushed himself out of his chair and into the water. Manny and Jimmy went running to the pool.

Before they got there, however, Jon began to swim. They watched as he swam the entire length of the pool, pushed off of the side with his hands, and came all the way back. He wasn't fast because his legs simply dragged behind him, but he did it. When he reached the other side, he pulled himself right out of the pool and sat on the edge.

"That was…" Jimmy began to say.

"Amazing!" Manny yelled.

"I was going to say scary, but that too," Jimmy said, laughing. They ran to their son and picked him up, hugging him between the two of them. Emma joined them and high-fived Jonathan.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Manny asked.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, I already told you that," Jon said.

"You scared the crap out of us," Jimmy said. "But I'm really proud of you," he said.

"We both are," Manny told him. Lily and Lucas were both out of the pool and congratulated Jon too.

"We are too," they said in unison. Bella began to cry on the baby monitor as if she were agreeing. Emma ran inside, got her out of the playpen and brought her to join everyone else. The entire family, including Emma, held each other in one huge hug. They knew they could do anything as long as they stuck together.

**A/N: I know it was kind of a sappy ending to the chapter, but I promise you that the drama has not ended. **


	16. The Last Scene Of Struggling

**Chapter Sixteen: The Last Scene Of Struggling **

Manny couldn't be happier. She had a loving husband, four beautiful children, a wonderful best friend, and felt safe and secure in her huge home. She had a restraining order against Matt and he couldn't bother them now. And Craig was still in jail. That was like the icing on the cake.

At this point in time, Manny was sitting in the living room watching television. Jimmy was already at work, and Bella was sleeping soundly in Manny's arms. Emma, Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan were all still sleeping, tucked away in their beds. A knock on the door startled Manny. She jumped a little, but then realized that it must be the neighbors. They were supposed to be stopping by today.

"Who is it?" she yelled, just to be sure. Bella wiggled in her arms, but stayed sleeping. No one answered her, but the knocking came louder the second time. She put Isabella down in her playpen and was walking towards the door when the person knocked yet again. "I'm coming!" she yelled. She opened the door and nearly fell backwards as the person charged by her and into the house.

"Where is Paige?" he yelled. Bella immediately began crying.

"Get out of here Matt! She's not here, and I won't tell you where she went!" Manny screamed. "We have a restraining order on you!"

"You think I really care? Do you think Jimmy can save you now?" Matt yelled. He slapped Manny across the face. "Tell me where she is or I'll beat it out of you!" Manny didn't say a word, she simply spit right in his face. "You little bitch!" he punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground. "Tell me now," he hissed, kneeling on the ground next to her. "You want a repeat of ten years ago?" Tears streamed down Manny's cheeks as she saw a flash of Matt raping her. "Just tell me and I'll let you go. No one has to get hurt here."

"I'll never tell," she spat. She closed her eyes and felt Matt rip her pants off. Just as he reached for her underwear, she heard a thud and felt him come crashing down on top of her, momentarily knocking the wind out of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chris dragging Matt's body to the side. He knelt down beside her and picked her up, holding her in his arms.

"Shh, it's okay." Manny cried into his shoulder for a few minutes before she choked out a few words.

"Is he…dead?" she whispered.

"No, I don't think so. I didn't hit him that hard." As he said this, Manny noticed the baseball bat lying on the ground. "But we better call the police before he wakes up. You okay?" he asked her. She simply nodded her head, and Chris hugged her. He was looking into her eyes, and Manny was sure that he was going to kiss her, but he stood up and picked up the phone to call the police. After he dialed the number, he held the phone between his ear and his shoulder, helped Manny off the floor and onto the couch, and picked up Bella to calm her down. Emma appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

"What's going on? I heard a bunch of screaming," she said. She walked halfway down the stairs and saw Matt lying on the ground. "Is he dead?" she gasped. Before anyone answered her, Matt's arm moved, followed by his leg. He was regaining consciousness.

"Chris, he's waking up!" Manny warned him. Chris had just hung up the phone.

"They're on their way," he informed her. He handed Isabella over to Manny and picked up the baseball bat, making his way over to Matt. He held the bat right over Matt's head. When he opened his eyes, he saw Chris there, and tried to get up.

"Make one move and I'll bash your pretty little face in," Chris sneered. Matt put his head back down and lay there until the police showed up. He was arrested for violating his restraining order, charged with assault, and would be going back to jail for at least a year. When the police were finished talked to Manny and Chris about the situation, they left, leaving Emma still a little confused.

"How did he get in here?" she asked. Manny sighed.

"He kept knocking on the door so loudly that I just opened it without looking to see who it was first. I'm such an idiot."

"Don't say that. You had no idea that he would be the one knocking on the door," Chris said, throwing an arm around her protectively. Emma's eyes became slits as she scowled at him.

"And how is it that you showed up here?" she asked him.

"I was coming by to see the kids. When I saw Matt's car outside, I grabbed the baseball bat out of my trunk. I knew there would be trouble, and I was right," he explained. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked Manny again.

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm gonna go cook breakfast." She stood up, handed her daughter to Emma, and left the room. Emma and Chris were sitting in silence until Emma walked over to the couch and plopped down next to him.

"I want you to stop doing that," she said to him.

"Doing what?" he asked innocently.

"Putting your arm around Manny, and constantly touching her leg or hand. I see it every time you do it. You're not going to break up her marriage," Emma said angrily.

"I'm not trying to break her marriage up. I love her too much to do something like that to her," he said, sighing. "Besides, I think I'm interested in someone else."

"Really, who?" Emma asked. Chris didn't answer; he simply looked into Emma's eyes. She backed away slowly, and stood up. "I'm gonna go help Manny in the kitchen." She handed the baby to Chris and got up. During her short walk out of the room, Emma could feel Chris' eyes on her. She shuddered and brushed it off. Chris didn't really like her. Did he?

"Em, I think I want to move," Manny said suddenly when her best friend entered the room.

"What? Where?" Emma asked.

"I just think it would be better if we left here. I don't want to be near Matt, or Craig, or Chris for that matter. I really think it's time we moved."

"But where are you gonna go?"

"To the states I think. Somewhere near Paige. We can get a big house that's actually wheelchair accessible, and even with a bedroom downstairs for Jonathan," Manny explained.

"Well, you shouldn't be talking to me about this. You really need to talk to Jimmy," Emma told her.

"You're right. I'll ask him as soon as he gets home from work. I'm thinking that he could take the kids on a vacation, and then we can have a birthday party for the twins that can double as a going away party. Then we can move in time for the kids to start at a new school. As much as I'd like them to go to Degrassi, I think we'd all be safer away from here."

"That's a good idea Manny. You just need to talk it over with your husband."

Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan got up when they smelled breakfast cooking. Manny made extra helpings, and set another place at the table for Chris. They all ate silently, Manny still a little shaken up by the morning's events. Chris kept glancing at Manny and Emma, as if choosing which woman he wanted to be with. The kids, not even knowing of what had taken place, were just happy to be eating with their family. Not one of them seemed to notice that Chris was at the table instead of their father. Of course, Chris was really the father of all three of them, but not everyone knew that.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short…the only thing I had planned for this chapter was the Matt thing. The next chapter should be interesting. **


	17. This Left Feels Right

**Chapter Seventeen: This Left Feels Right**

**A/N: Sorry it has taken so long for me to update. My computer crashed and I had to use a recovery disk; erasing all of my hard drive, including my fan fictions! All of my ideas for the story were gone, but I've pretty much remembered it now. **

Manny was busy making breakfast. She had discussed moving with Jimmy, and he thought it was a great idea. There were only three weeks left of the summer, and they wanted to move before school started for the kids. Jimmy, Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan were leaving for a week long vacation to New York. Jimmy was going to pay for the house they found and let the kids get to know the area. Manny decided to stay home with Emma and Bella. She also had to make preparations to move her office to New York, so she didn't lose the adoption agency.

"Here you go," Manny said, placing all the plates on the table. She had made pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs.

"You didn't have to make this much," Jimmy said. He kissed her in thanks.

"Ew! Can't you guys do that in private?" Lucas complained. Everyone laughed and started eating.

"Where's Aunt Emma? Isn't she coming to say goodbye to us?" Lily asked.

"Well, she's still sleeping honey," Manny said.

"Don't worry, I'm right here," Emma said cheerfully from the kitchen. Her stomach was getting bigger by the day.

"Sit down and eat. You must be hungry," Jimmy told her. Emma sat down with them and they all finished eating.

"The car is all packed, so you're ready to go," Manny told everyone.

"Honey, you didn't have to do that," Jimmy said.

"I couldn't really sleep last night, so I figured I'd do something useful," she replied.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Jimmy asked, worried.

"It's just the first time I've been away from my babies for so long!" she said, trying not to cry.

"You should come with us Mommy," Jonathan said.

"No, I can't. I have to stay here with Bella. She's too little to go on the airplane. I want you all to have lots of fun so you can tell me all about it," Manny explained. "Now, everyone put your dishes in the sink; we have to get going." Everyone obeyed and put their dishes away. Lucas helped Jonathan with his, and then they all went out to the Suburban that Jimmy and Manny recently bought for more room. Emma got in the far backseat with Lucas and Lily. Isabella was strapped in her car seat in the middle of the first backseat, and Jimmy lifted Jonathan up and sat him next to his sister. Finally, Jimmy and Manny got into the front and they drove to the airport.

"Bye everyone. I love you so much and I'll miss you," Manny said. She hugged and kissed them all, saving Jimmy for last. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she cried into his shoulder.

"It's not too late to change your mind. Come with us," he said.

"I can't. I have to work everything out with the adoption agency. It's only gonna be a week; I have to keep reminding myself that," she said.

"Well, I love you so much and we'll be back before you know it." He kissed Manny for what seemed like hours, and then turned to Emma. He took his daughter from her arms and gave her a huge hug and kissed her on the forehead. After handing her to Manny and giving Emma a hug goodbye, he and the kids turned to go through the metal detectors. Manny watched them until she couldn't see them anymore. She and Emma drove home in silence.

* * *

Manny was sitting on the couch with the TV on, but she wasn't really watching it. Emma was upstairs taking a nap, and so was Isabella. It had been four hours since Jimmy and the kids left, and Manny didn't have anything to do. She was waiting until the next day to go over to her office. A knock on the door startled Manny, but got her excited. She turned the TV off and ran to answer it.

"Hi Chris…what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Can I come in?" he asked, without answering her question.

"Um, sure." Manny stepped aside and Chris walked into the house, sitting down on the couch. Manny sat down next to him.

"I came to see the kids. I haven't seen them in a week," he said.

"Well, you're gonna have to wait another week because they went on vacation with Jimmy." Manny told him. Chris sighed and his face fell.

"I wish you would have told me. I would have gone to say goodbye," he said.

"Jimmy wouldn't have liked that very much."

"I don't care what Jimmy likes and what he doesn't like. You should know that by now. They're my kids!" he raised his voice a little.

"Just because you're their father by blood, that doesn't make you their real dad. You didn't raise them. You were in prison!" Manny shot back. Chris opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. Instead of speaking, he threw himself at Manny and kissed her. She was about to pull away, but instead she let her body relax, and kissed him back. She had missed the familiarity of his kiss. When Chris pulled away, Manny got angry again. "Why did you do that?" she yelled.

"Manny, I love you. I've always loved you and you know that. All of these years, I've missed you so much. I have wanted to be with you. We were supposed to get married."

"I'm already married to Jimmy. Chris, we had a chance together, and you blew it," Manny explained.

"Isn't there any way you'll give me another chance?" he asked. Manny shook her head no, and Chris leaned in to kiss her again. Manny couldn't resist, and she let him. The sound of Emma clearing her throat startled them. They jumped apart and looked at her. She was glaring at both of them.

"I think you better leave Chris," she said. Before getting up to leave, Chris whispered something to Manny that only she could hear.

"In that last kiss, I could feel that we've been disconnected. You really love Jimmy, don't you?" he asked. Manny nodded her head. "Don't forget that I love you, okay? I'm going to let you go now. But also know that I can never let my children go." He stood up and left. Emma, still glaring, sat down on the couch next to Manny.

"What did he say to you just now?" she asked, furious.

"It's not important; at least not to you," Manny answered.

"Manny, what are you doing?" Emma asked. When Manny didn't answer, Emma shook her head in disbelief.

"Emma, I need to ask you something. You can't get mad at me; you have to tell me what you really think. I need you to be my best friend right now; not my mother. Can you promise me that? That you won't get mad?"

"I promise," Emma whispered. Manny waited a minute before she started talking again.

"Even though Chris did so many bad things, and hurt me so much, I feel like he's still a good person. He's only made mistakes; like everyone else. No one's perfect. Do you agree? That he's a good person?"

"Yeah, I do. I know that no one's perfect Manny. That doesn't mean you can go kissing your ex-boyfriend. You're married!" Emma raised her voice a little.

"You're starting to sound like my mother. I need you to reason with me here. Chris isn't just an ex-boyfriend. He was the first love of my life. He's the father of three of my children. He's…" Emma interrupted her at this point.

"He's not your husband."

"Emma, do you think that Chris and I are meant to be together? He hurt me so much, but I have a feeling that we should be together. I feel like I can forgive him for anything that he's done," she said, ignoring Emma's protests.

"No Manny, I don't think you're meant to be together. You and Jimmy belong together. He loves you so much and it would break his heart to know that you were talking to me about this. What other guy would raise three children that weren't his own? Chris wouldn't even do that. He couldn't even raise his own kids," Emma said. Manny sighed.

"I think you're right. I just have to let him go." Without discussing anything else, Manny left the room to check on her daughter. When she got upstairs, she saw that Isabella was still sleeping, and decided to make a phone call. After three rings, he answered.

"Hey Manny, I'm sorry about all that. I didn't mean to piss Emma off."

"Don't worry, it's just her hormones. Listen, Chris, I have to talk to you. It's important. Emma's got an appointment at the doctor's tonight around 5. How about you come over for dinner?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll be there at 5 on the dot," Chris answered and hung up the phone. Emma was walking by when she saw Manny hanging up the phone.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked suspiciously.

"I was leaving a message on Jimmy's voicemail. I miss him so much," Manny said, only lying about the message. She really did miss him.

"Oh, well, don't forget that I have an appointment at 5. I won't be here for dinner. I thought I'd visit JT afterwards. His letters are making me miss seeing him," Emma told her.

"I'm glad he's getting better for you."

"Me too," Emma replied.

* * *

Manny was just finishing dinner when Chris arrived. She made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob.

"Come in!" Manny yelled when he rang the doorbell. She put the dinner on the table and quickly heated up some baby food for Isabella, who was patiently waiting in her highchair. Chris sat down at the table and watched Manny, smiling the entire time.

"You're so beautiful," he remarked. Manny blushed as she sat down at the head of the table. Chris was to her left and Bella her right. "Move her highchair over here, and I'll feed her," he offered.

"You don't have to…" Manny started to protest.

"I want to. You've gone to so much trouble to make this dinner." Chris moved the highchair himself and began feeding Bella. While she was chewing, or gumming her food rather, he took bites of his food. "Delicious," he said, smiling. Manny blushed again, but continued eating. "Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked. Manny hung her head down and slowly set her fork and knife onto her plate.

"You're not going to like it," she said. "Not at all."

"Just tell me, I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Chris…we're…moving…" she managed to spit out.

"Where are you moving to? Not too far away, I hope," Chris said.

"New York," Manny said quietly.

"New York, as in the states?" he asked.

"What other New York do you know of?"

"But that's great Manny!"

"How is it great?" she asked him.

"Because, I grew up in New York. I'll definitely be moving down there too. Let me know your address so I can get an apartment nearby. I'm sure my buddy Mike will let me stay at his place until I find somewhere," Chris explained.

"Oh," was all she managed to say.

"Are you surprised that I'm moving out there with you guys?" Chris asked her.

"Well, yeah, a little," Manny confessed.

"Like I told you before; I'm not giving up on my kids. I can't. I've missed too much of their lives already. I'm not missing anymore."

"Jimmy's not gonna like this."

"Screw Jimmy! He's not their father!" Chris said, starting to get angry. "Look, I'm sorry I got loud, but these are my kids we're talking about. I want to start seeing them more too. Like pick them up after school and have some time with them until dinner or something."

"I'm sure we can work something out. But let's wait until we're all settled into our new house in New York okay?" Manny asked, trying to reason with him.

"Sounds good to me," Chris said, smiling. He finished feeding Bella and then Manny and he finished eating, silent for the rest of dinner. Manny hoped everything would work out and Chris just hoped he could stay in his kid's lives forever.


	18. Obvious Heart

**Chapter Eighteen: Obvious Heart **

**A/N: Sorry for the huge delay; writer's block is a pain in my ass! I'm sorry if these last few chapters aren't really that good…I'm having such a hard time writing them and I don't know why. Hope you like it, please review! **

The week flew by, and before she knew it, Manny was at the airport to pick her husband and kids up. During the week, she found a building for her adoption agency that was ten minutes away from their new house in New York. She even convinced two people besides Emma to come work at the new office. She hired three people to take their places, and would find a few more people for the new office.

Jimmy emailed her pictures of the new house, and the best part was that the house had wheelchair ramps and a downstairs bedroom for Jonathan. And it was only a block away from Paige's house.

"Mommy!" Lily yelled as she ran to Manny. They hugged for a minute, and then Manny hugged everyone else.

"I missed you all so much," Manny told them. "Especially my darling husband," she said, turning to Jimmy and kissing him.

"Where's Bella?" Jimmy asked.

"Emma offered to watch her for the day so that we could all go out for lunch and to the movies after," Manny explained. They set off for The Dot for lunch.

* * *

Emma was sitting on the couch, rocking Isabella to sleep when the doorbell rang. She put the baby in her playpen and slowly made her way to the door, feeling a little worried. She wasn't sure who would be coming by the house. She opened the door a crack, saw that it was Chris, and let out a sigh of relief. She opened the door the rest of the way and let him in.

"Manny's not here," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. She was still irritated with Chris about the kiss he shared with her best friend who was married. She also felt a hint of jealousy, but couldn't understand why.

"Actually, I came here to see you. I knew Manny would be getting Jimmy and the kids from the airport," Chris explained. Emma was confused.

"What would you need to see me for?" she asked him.

"I thought maybe we could talk. There are some things I need to get off my chest, and I thought this would be as good a time as any."

"Um, sure," Emma replied, leading Chris over to the couch. She went over to the playpen to take Bella out, but Chris stopped her.

"Let me get her. You should sit down and rest," he said, leaning down to pick the baby up. Emma sat down on the couch, but protested.

"I'm pregnant; not sick," she said coldly. Isabella started to cry, and Emma reached for her. Chris ignored her and rocked the baby and stroked her cheek, trying to get her to sleep. Within the next minute, Bella was fast asleep in his arms. "How'd you get so good with kids?" Emma asked, a little rudely.

"I do have three of my own you know," he retorted.

"Not like you were there for them when they were little," she blurted out. When she saw Chris' face fall, she instantly regretted saying it. "Sorry…" she whispered.

"No, you're right. I was a terrible father, but I'm trying to make up for it now," he said. "I've also been volunteering at the orphanage downtown. I like to go there and try to make a difference in those children's lives. I even thought of adopting one of the older kids, but I knew I should get everything worked out with my kids first," he explained to her with a faraway look in his eyes.

"That's really sweet of you," Emma said, warming up to him a little. "But what did you want to talk about?" she asked, full of curiosity.

"Well…this is hard for me to say. First of all, I want to apologize for kissing Manny. I have already said sorry to her, but I feel the need to apologize to you. I know that wasn't something you enjoyed walking in on, and I'm sorry."

"Thanks, that means a lot," Emma said gratefully. Then Chris continued.

"Part of the reason I kissed her was to see if we still had something. I realized that day that she really loves Jimmy and isn't going to leave him for anyone, especially not me. But I was also seeing if I could forget about someone that I've developed feelings for." He stopped talking for a minute, and Emma had a confused look on her face, so he tried to explain further. "Ever since I brought myself back into Manny's life, and into the kids' lives, I've found myself developing feelings for someone else. It was hard because I was still in love with Manny, but the further her and I grew apart, the closer I felt to this other woman."

"And who is this other woman?" Emma asked. Chris answered her by kissing her. Like Manny, Emma was unable to resist, and she fell into his kiss. When Chris pulled away, Emma just sat there with a stunned look on her face. She blinked a few times and came back to her senses. "Me?" was all she could say.

"Yeah," he replied, looking away from her and down at Isabella instead.

"Chris, I…" Emma started to say, but she didn't finish the sentence.

"I get it Emma. You don't like me, and that's okay. I guess I just…" but Emma cut him off before he could finish.

"It's not that. Not at all. Ever since Manny and I met you in grade eleven, I was a little jealous of Manny. For a little while, I even hoped you would break up so that maybe we could have a chance. But then she got pregnant, and I knew I could never get in between you two. Then you really hurt her by leaving, and I found myself forced to be mad at you. After all this time, I think I still like you, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." Chris stared at her, completely awestruck. He never thought that Emma liked him.

"Wow, uh…I never thought you had any feelings for me at all. Actually, come to think of it, I thought you always hated me," he told her.

"I never hated you. I just had to pretend like I didn't have any feelings for you so that Manny wouldn't get mad. She is my best friend," Emma left the explanation at that. She left out the part that she couldn't bear to have her heart broken again, especially from another guy named Chris. Before Chris could reply, Emma leaned forward and kissed him this time. She had just put her tongue in his mouth when the front door opened.

"Um, wow…" Manny said. Emma and Chris jumped apart. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm just gonna go put my daughter in her crib," Manny said, taking Bella from Chris. Jimmy and the kids walked in and saw the couch's occupants looking embarrassed.

"Hi guys," Jimmy said, waving.

"Everyone, let's give Auntie Emma and Chris some time alone. Daddy and I will help you unpack your clothes, okay?" Manny suggested. Everyone followed her upstairs, with Jimmy carrying Jonathan, leaving Emma and Chris alone in silence.

"How was that for awkward?" Chris said, breaching the silence that lingered between them. Emma let out a nervous laugh, but then closed her mouth. "Maybe I should go?" he said it in the form of a question rather than a suggestion. Emma nodded her head. Chris stood up to go, and Emma got up to walk him to the door. Right before he left, he turned around and quickly kissed her on the cheek. "Um, give me a call later, when things settle down a bit." Emma nodded her head once again and watched him leave.

* * *

"I just didn't see you two as a couple, that's all," Manny said. The kids and Jimmy were asleep because of their long flight and busy day. Manny and Emma were out in the pool.

"So you're not mad at me?" Emma asked, eyes pleading.

"No, I'm not mad. Don't you think you're being a bit hypocritical though?" Manny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" Emma asked, clearly confused.

"Well, just a week ago, you were lecturing me on kissing someone while I was married…and that's what you just did tonight. I mean, what's JT gonna do when he finds out?" she explained. Emma bit her bottom lip. She had completely forgotten about JT.

"Actually Manny, we're not even married. He beat me, remember? And now he's up in some institution somewhere, trying to stop being an alcoholic!" Emma started to get angry.

"He's up in that institution because he's trying to get better for you. And you're pregnant with his baby! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Manny asked, becoming distraught with Emma's actions.

"You have kids by different fathers, and one of them isn't even yours! You're 25 and you already have four of them! And you want to lecture me on my one child that I'm going to have?" Emma said, rolling her eyes. She stood up and walked up the steps, out of the pool.

"That's real mature Em. Taking a shot at my kids like that. Getting pregnant at a young age was a mistake, but I don't regret it. I got two beautiful children out of it. And I raised Jonathan because his mother was killed and his father was in prison. Sorry if I wanted to give him a life. And as for Isabella, she is a symbol of my love with Jimmy. I'm not ashamed of any of my children, and you shouldn't be using them against me. I'm only trying to help you!" Manny yelled.

"Well, go help someone else!" Emma turned her back on Manny, but Manny jumped out of the pool and ran inside. Emma felt a little guilty, but she was also furious. She stormed into the house after Manny, to find her in tears on the couch.

"If you can't appreciate what I've done for you, then you can get out of my house!" Manny yelled.

"Fine, I will." Emma glared at her, grabbed her keys off the end table, and left, slamming the door shut behind her. A few seconds later, she heard Emma's car peeling out of the driveway. Lily appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

"Mom, what was all that noise?" she asked.

"Oh it was nothing sweetheart. I had the TV up too loud," Manny lied. She didn't want to worry her. "Let's get you to bed." Manny walked up the stairs and tucked Lily in, kissing her on top of her head. She went to her bedroom, changed into pajamas, and lay down next to Jimmy. She was angry with Emma, but afraid that something might happen to her. Getting out of bed, she grabbed her cell phone and went into the bathroom, careful not to wake her husband. She dialed Emma's cell, but realized that she could hear it ringing. She followed the sound to Emma's bedroom, where she found the phone in the middle of the bed. Manny sighed and went back to bed, hoping that her friend would be okay.


	19. Mistakes

**Chapter Nineteen: Mistakes**

Chris opened his door to a tear-stained, disheveled Emma Nelson. He motioned for her to sit down on the couch. He was embarrassed by the state his apartment was in, but since he couldn't do anything about it, he turned his attention to Emma.

"What happened?" he asked, brushing hair out of her face.

"I had a fight with Manny," she said, trying not to burst into tears again. "I said some really hurtful things to her and she told me that if I didn't appreciate what she's done for me then I should go somewhere else. And here I am."

"Let me guess; the fight was about me," Chris said.

"Yeah, pretty much. Do you think it would be alright if I stayed here? Just for tonight, I mean," she added.

"It's fine with me. I'll take the couch; you can have my bed," he told her.

"No, I'll sleep on the couch. I don't want to make you uncomfortable in your own home," Emma said.

"Emma, you're pregnant. You are not sleeping on this ratty old couch!" Chris told her sternly.

"Well, I'm not sure I want to sleep alone tonight," Emma told him.

"I don't think that's such a good idea…"

"Why not? I am pregnant. What do you think it gonna happen?" she asked.

"You do have a point there. Why don't we go to bed now though? It's getting late," he suggested. Emma agreed, and Chris led her to his bedroom. Emma stood outside, observing the room. It was small, with just a double bed, dresser, and desk in it.

"Think I could change out of my bathing suit?" Emma asked.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I wasn't really paying attention to what you were wearing," Chris said.

"Wow, that's a first," Emma joked. Chris blushed and quickly ducked into his room, returning a minute later with a pair of boxers and a huge t-shirt.

"Sorry, I don't have girl's underwear," he said, handing the clothes over to her.

"I should hope not," Emma replied before going into the bathroom to change. She hung her wet suit over the bar of the shower and made her way back to Chris' room. She found him lying on the bed, already asleep. She lay down next to him and pulled the blankets over her. After twenty minutes of staring at the ceiling, she found herself moving closer to Chris. She snuggled right up next to him, and he put his arm around her, still half-asleep. Emma closed her eyes and easily fell asleep with him so close.

* * *

"I can't believe she still hasn't called to let me know she's okay!" Manny complained to Jimmy. She was really getting worried. They had fought around eleven the night before, and it was almost five o'clock the next night. Now Manny was trying to decide what to make for dinner, and hoping she'd be setting a place at the table for Emma. 

"I'm sure she's fine. She probably went to her parent's house. Or she could even be at her own house. They still own it and JT's still in rehab," he pointed out. "Besides, I'm sure she's just as upset as you are about this whole fight."

"All I did was try to give her advice, and she insulted the kids! I can't believe she would do something like that!" Manny said, almost yelling. Luckily, all the children were upstairs in their rooms playing. Jimmy didn't want them to hear what Emma had said about them.

"What kind of advice did you give her?" he asked. Manny still hadn't told him all the details of the fight.

"Well, I told her that she shouldn't be messing around with Chris when she's pregnant with JT's baby and he's trying to get better for her," Manny said.

"You have to remember that we're not sixteen anymore. Emma needs to start making her own decisions. And if those decisions turn into mistakes that she'll regret then she needs to work them out on her own," he told her.

"I know that. I just don't want her to get hurt by him. And JT really is working hard for her. I talked to him the other day. He called but she refused to talk to him. He said that he would be out of there sometime next month. It will just break his heart if Emma chooses not to be with him."

"But he did beat her and rape her. Even if he doesn't remember doing it, he shouldn't have gotten drunk in the first place. I think Emma is right to be wary of trusting him. But I also agree with you that she should not have anything to do with Chris. He's not a very trustworthy person either," Jimmy said, stating all of his opinions.

"That's all true. I'm just worried right now though. I think I'm gonna go call Spike and Snake to see if they've heard from her," Manny said. She kissed Jimmy and left the room to make the phone call. As she picked up the phone in the living room and started to dial, the front door burst open and Emma walked in. "Em!" Manny squealed as if she were twelve again.

"Hi," Emma replied meekly. She wasn't sure if Manny was going to be angry or happy or both. Manny answered the question by running over and throwing her arms around her best friend.

"I was so worried about you. I didn't mean for you to leave. And I'm sorry I told you to go. I thought something bad happened. I was just about to call your parents…" Emma interrupted her.

"Manny, you're rambling," she said, letting slip a small laugh. It made her feel like a kid again, and it was a little comforting. "Besides, I'm the one who should be saying sorry. You were right, and I shouldn't have ever said anything about the kids. You know I love them too," Emma explained.

"Of course," Manny said. When she hugged Emma just moments earlier, she could smell Chris' cologne. She also noticed that Emma was wearing his clothes. Her stomach turned at the thought of Emma spending a night with him. She let the feeling slide when she remembered what Jimmy had told her. _Let her make her own mistakes_, he had said.

"I'm sorry that I worried you, but I won't be staying for dinner. I have somewhere that I really need to be. I just have to get changed, but I'll be back as soon as I can," she explained. At first, Manny thought that Emma might be going back to Chris', but then she realized that Emma wouldn't have come home if she was just going to stay there.

"Okay, I'll wrap up some leftovers in case you're hungry later," Manny said, and left to finish setting the table. Emma hurried upstairs to her room, closing the door and leaning back on it. After a few seconds, tears came pouring from her eyes as she let herself slide all the way down to the floor.

**-Flashback-**

_Emma woke up in the morning to find Chris' arms still around her. She smiled and rolled on her side, looking up into his eyes. He brushed a stray piece of hair from her eyes and smiled back. She couldn't remember the last time she even felt like this. She was so used to being beaten up and then running to the office to spend a restless night on the couch. _

"_Chris, I…" but he put a finger to her lips, silencing her. Emma didn't mind, seeing as she forgot what she was about to say anyway. Chris stroked her lips with his finger, then used it to pull her chin up, towards his mouth. He kissed her passionately, and she gladly kissed him back. Emma laid her head on Chris' chest and held onto his hand. She just wanted to lie there in his arms forever. _

_A few minutes later, Emma kissed Chris and slipped her tongue into his mouth. They made out for a little while, and then Emma's hand started trailing down to Chris' pants. He had fallen asleep in his jeans from the day before. She pulled the zipper down and snapped open the button before Chris stopped her._

"_What's wrong?" she asked._

"_Emma, you're pregnant," Chris said, laughing a little._

"_So what?" Emma asked. "I can still do this when I'm pregnant, it doesn't hurt the baby," she added._

"_It might be a little different if it were my baby," Chris told her. "But it's not." Emma's face fell as she tried not to cry. "Look, Emma…" he started to say._

"_No, don't say anything, please. I feel like an idiot." She stood up off the bed and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, grabbing her car keys in the process. "I just thought that we had something…" she stopped mid-sentence, waiting for Chris' reply. _

"_Emma, I like you, I really do. But, I think this was a mistake. You're having a baby and JT…" she interrupted him before he could finish._

"_Leave him out of this!" She crossed her hands over her chest and glared at Chris, angry with him for ruining her moment of happiness. He stood up and walked over to her, wiping a tear that had fallen down her cheek. _

"_If things were different…" he ended it at that. He kissed Emma on her forehead before she ran out, jumping into the car. She drove and drove, trying to get as far away from Chris as she possibly could. After a half hour, she stopped the car in an abandoned parking lot and cried. She had cried for hours, until she knew what she had to do._

**-End of Flashback-**

Emma stood up and wiped her tears away. She changed out of Chris' clothes and threw them into the small garbage can in the corner of the room. Grabbing her cell phone off her bed, she stormed out of her room, stopping only to check in on her nieces and nephews. Then she left the Brooks' house and headed off to the only place she could think of going.

* * *

"It's a girl," Emma said. "I found out a few months ago, but I never told anyone. I guess I was saving it for you." 

"That means a lot to me Emma. I know that apologizing can't ever take back what I did, but all I can do is try to get better," JT said, holding her hand across the table. Emma had visited him in rehab for only the second time since he'd gotten there, but he was grateful.

Lightly squeezing JT's hand, Emma looked around. The place felt like a prison, but she knew from JT's letters that they treated him well. She just couldn't help but feel restricted by letting out her true emotions. The table between them was like a force field. JT broke the field when he got up and sat down next to her.

"JT, I realized something in just this past week. I kept all my anger with you bottled up inside. I finally exploded today. I was a mess, just crying and crying and crying. And I realized that I wished you were there, holding me, and telling me that everything was gonna be okay," she told him, holding back more tears.

"I wish I was there too. But I don't want to be the one making you cry Em. You probably deserve someone much better than me," JT said, also on the verge of tears.

"No, I don't. JT, I love you, and I miss you. Well, I miss the person that you used to be. I fell in love with that person, and I want to fall in love with him all over again," she said, letting a few tears spill out.

"Emma, I promise that the minute I get out of here, everything will be back to normal. I love you too much to ever let you go," JT told her, kissing her. Emma knew instantly that she felt more in that small kiss than she ever had with any other guy, Christopher Hawkins included. She realized that she had only attatched herself to Chris because she wanted the attention, she craved it. She missed her one true love.

"James Tiberius Yorke, will you marry me?" Emma asked. "Again?" she added.

* * *

Emma strolled into Manny and Jimmy's house around ten o'clock. She found the two lovebirds asleep on the couch, cuddled up together. She shook them both awake, then sat down beside Manny. 

"Sorry for waking you up, but I had to tell you that I had the most amazing night ever," she said.

"Where'd you go?" Manny asked, a little suspicious. She was almost afraid of the answer.

"I visited JT," Emma said. Manny relaxed into Jimmy's arms and smiled.

"I knew you would do the right thing," Manny said.

"That's not all," she told them. Manny sat right back up again, eager to hear what happened.

**-Flashback-**

"_Of course I'll marry you. Emma, I love you so much. I just have one more question," he said._

"_What's that?" she asked happily._

"_What are we gonna name the baby?" he put his hand on Emma's stomach. Instead of answering him, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him._

**-End of Flashback-**

"I asked him to marry me!" she squealed. "And he said yes!"

"Congratulations Emma," Jimmy said.

"I'm so happy for you," Manny added.

"And we picked a name for the baby. Jaime Emilia Nelson-Yorke," Emma said proudly.

"It's a girl?" Manny squealed.

"That's beautiful," Jimmy said.

"It's a combination of both of our names," she told them.

"I can't wait until she's born," Manny said.

"I can't wait until JT comes home," Emma said.

"I can't wait until I have more friends over. You girls are killing me," Jimmy joked. The three of them laughed until it hurt. It felt good to be happy again. Especially for Emma.

**A/N: At the end of chapter 13, I asked you guys to say whether Emma should have a boy or girl. Since Qtpye was the only one to suggest something, I decided for her to have a girl. This is the longest chapter I've ever written and it took forever! **


	20. The End Has Only Begun

**Chapter Twenty: The End Has Only Begun**

"Thanks for coming!" Manny shouted to their last guest. Everyone had arrived for the party. It was a combination birthday party for the twins and Manny, a going away party for the Brooks' family, and a baby shower for Emma.

The guest list was as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, Spike, Snake, Jack, Heather, Jason, Jayden, Anthony, Caleb, Quinn, Chris, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, Mr. and Mrs. Yorke, three of Lily's friends and their parents, three of Lucas' friends and their parents, and three of Jonathan's friends, who also brought their parents. Manny had even invited her parents, and they actually showed up. JT was allowed to leave rehab for one day to be at the party. Paige, Jake, Avery, and Maia even flew in from New York. They would be returning home on the same flight as Jimmy, Manny, and the kids. Counting Manny, Jimmy, and the kids, there were over fifty people at the party.

There was so much chaos of opening presents and greeting people and Manny loved it. She knew it was her last time to make peace with her parents too, and she did. They promised to visit their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in New York every chance they could get.

Saying goodbye to Heather, Jason, and their kids was hard. They were her family. Manny and Jimmy hugged each and every one of their guests as they left. They knew they would miss them all, but were also excited for their new life where they could meet new people and keep their family safe.

Jimmy and Manny cleared the kids out of the living room so Emma and JT could have a moment together before he went back to rehab. They joined Paige, Jake, and their daughters in the backyard. They would be staying at Manny's until it was time to fly back. Emma went to the backyard when JT was gone. There were tears in her eyes, but she knew that JT would be back with her in a few weeks.

"Okay everyone, we know that all the party was so exciting," Manny said.

"But we all need to start packing. The movers will be here in two days," Jimmy said.

The kids rushed to their rooms to pack. Once they had gotten over the fact that they were leaving their friends, they were excited to move too. They knew they would be with their cousins Avery and Maia, as well as their new cousin Jaime. The minute JT was out of rehab, he and Emma were going to fly down to New York. They would be staying at Manny and Jimmy's until they found a house of their own. Jake and Jimmy went over to Emma's house to pack up JT's things while Emma, Manny, and Paige helped the kids pack.

* * *

Two days later, the moving men came with three huge trucks. One was for Emma and JT's stuff, the second was for all of Manny and Jimmy's furniture, and the third was for all of the kids' belongings. The trucks would meet them at their new house in about three days. Manny and Jimmy's cars were also being delivered to the house.

That night, Emma drove them to the airport in her minivan. Paige and Jake took their rental car. They would be arriving in New York sometime the next morning. They all stood, tickets in hand, beside the metal detectors to say goodbye to Emma.

"This is it," Manny said. She sighed. She realized that everything was going to turn out perfect. Jimmy was holding his wife's hand and holding Isabella in her car seat in the other hand. Lily, Lucas, and Jonathan had their backpacks to carry onto the plane.

"Well be there in a few weeks," Emma told her. Manny ran forward and hugged her best friend. Then she turned to Paige, Jake, Jimmy, and all the kids.

"You ready?" she asked. Everyone nodded their heads and they all hugged Emma goodbye.

"You make sure you wait to come out until your mommy is with us," Paige said, patting Emma's stomach.

"Bye Em," Manny and Paige said in unison. Jimmy and Jake waved and started walking towards the security check.

"Bye Aunty Emma!" Lily, Lucas, Jonathan, Avery, and Maia all yelled together. Emma waved and blew them each a kiss, watching until they all disappeared around the corner.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

After a long, long flight, Paige and her family returned home, and Jimmy drove his family to their new house. When Manny stepped onto the front lawn, she felt completely at home.

"Go pick out your bedrooms," Manny told the kids. They sped into the house. Jimmy gave Manny a tour of every room. "It's beautiful," she said, hugging him. Out of the two bedrooms downstairs, one was Jonathan's and one was Manny and Jimmy's. Up on the second floor, Lily and Lucas found rooms they each liked, and Manny picked one out for Bella. Then she went into a bedroom that was big and full of sunlight from the three windows. There was a bench seat underneath the largest window.

"Whose room should this be?" Jimmy asked.

"I think it's perfect for the baby," Manny told him. Jimmy looked confused.

"But Bella already has a bedroom," he said.

"I'm not talking about her." Manny rested Jimmy's hand on her stomach and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. The end had only begun.

**A/N: The End! I finally finished the entire trilogy! Sorry this chapter was so short, but that's all that I had left to write. Hope you liked it! I do have a new story coming up, called Better Luck Next Time. It will be posted as soon as I finish Pieces of My Heart…if you haven't read that story, then you should! **


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